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India-Pakistan ceasefire: How much of a role did US actually play to bring hostilities to an end?
India and Pakistan agreed to immediately cease all hostilities after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
India and Pakistan on Saturday agreed to immediately cease all hostilities across land, air, and sea, following four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
In a surprise move, US President Donald Trump was the first to announce the ceasefire on social media, followed by a formal statement from Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
This came a day after US vice president JD Vance told Fox News that the US will not intervene between Pakistan and India, adding that it was “fundamentally none of our business.”
However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday said he and Vance engaged with senior officials in both India and Pakistan. He also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif for their “wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace.”
While Trump and Rubio suggested that Washington, DC, had played a mediating role, India’s foreign secretary Vikram Misri clarified that the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan had called his Indian counterpart at 3:35pm IST.
Also Read | How India and Pakistan hammered out a surprise pause
“The Director General of Military Operations of Pakistan called the Director General of Military Operations of India at 15:35 hours Indian Standard Time earlier today. It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land, in the air, and at sea, with effect from 17:00 hours IST today,” Misri said.
Indian officials also clarified that no broader dialogue was forthcoming and that all measures taken against Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack—including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, closure of the Attari land border post, reduction of diplomatic presence, and expulsion of Pakistani nationals—will remain in place.
What led Rubio, Vance to intervene?
According to a report in The New York Times, Rubio and Vance initiated dialogue with Indian and Pakistani officials after the US received intelligence suggesting that the military conflict between the two neighbours could escalate further.
The report stated that the most significant concern arose when India targeted the Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi, the garrison city adjacent to Islamabad.
Also Read | India reacted responsibly to Pakistani provocation: Foreign secretary
The air base, one of Pakistan’s central military transport hubs, is located near the headquarters of the Strategic Plans Division, which oversees and secures the country’s nuclear arsenal.
A former American official familiar with Pakistan’s nuclear program told the NYT the country’s deepest fear is the decapitation of its nuclear command authority.
“The missile strike on Nur Khan could have been interpreted,” the former official said, “as a warning that India could do just that."
As reported by Hindustan Times, Pakistan sustained its worst damage in the early hours of May 10, when the Indian Air Force struck eight military sites—including airbases, radar units, and ammunition depots—using air-launched precision weapons.
The IAF targeted military facilities in Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Chunian, Pasrur, and Sialkot. The overnight developments marked the fiercest exchange between the two militaries since India launched Operation Sindoor.
The strikes came in response to Pakistan’s aggressive attacks on Indian military infrastructure and civilian areas using fighter jets, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), and missiles.
