At 2.09 a.m. on Saturday, Ahmad Subhan, who lives near an air base in the Pakistan military garrison city of Rawalpindi, heard the first explosion that rattled the windows of his house - and took South Asia to the brink of war.

The Indian armed forces had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 to avenge the Pahalgam attack where 26 people- mostly tourists – were killed. Subsequently, the two countries were involved in military actions against each other.

As tensions ratcheted up over the last week of fighting, Pakistan did not consider deploying nuclear warheads to strike India, the country’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar told CNN on Monday.

N ARENDRA MODI, India’s prime minister, sounded as defiant as he did triumphant in speaking to the nation two days after a ceasefire with Pakistan. India’s four-day military operation, he said on May 12th,

Follow The Hindu’s latest developments on the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor.

India and Pakistan engaged in the most intense fighting in decades with four days of escalating conflict that included fighter jets, missiles and drones packed with explosives. It ended almost as abruptly as it began.

Pakistani officials have said Saturday’s ceasefire with India reestablished deterrence. But New Delhi insists the rules of engagement have irrevocably changed.

The ceasefire had been expected to bring a swift end to weeks of escalating clashes triggered by the mass shooting of tourists last month that India blames on Pakistan.

A ceasefire agreed between India and Pakistan appears to be holding, with both sides stressing their commitment to the surprise truce which halted the worst fighting in decades between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

NEW DELHI — India and Pakistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire on Saturday, halting days of clashes that killed dozens of people and pushed the nuclear-armed neighbors to the brink of war.

With last-minute U.S. mediation, cooler heads prevailed between India and Pakistan. But a flare-up is inevitable.