India and Pakistan claimed victory after a ceasefire was declared over the weekend, allowing the two nuclear-armed powers to step back from the brink of war. After days of escalating clashes culminating in missile strikes by both sides and drone strikes on each other's major military bases - the closest they have been to full-scale war in decades - Donald Trump declared a ceasefire between the Asian neighbors on Saturday night.

On Sunday, Trump also congratulated both countries for having ‘the strength, wisdom and fortitude to fully realize and understand that it is time to stop the current aggression that may have led to the death and destruction of so many people’.

Hours after the truce was announced, fears that it had broken down after renewed shelling along the disputed border in Kashmir and missiles and drones were again launched into Indian-administered Kashmir, The Guardian noted.

By Sunday morning, however, there was silence on both sides of the border, giving many hope that the fragile peace could be maintained. Each side accused the other of instigating violations, with Pakistan saying it remained ‘committed to honoring the ceasefire in good faith’.

The Indian Army said at a press briefing that it had conveyed a message through its hotline to Pakistan that in the event of further cross-border provocations, ‘we have a firm and clear intention to respond firmly and firmly.’

Both India and Pakistan declared the ceasefire as a victory, sparking a surge of nationalist sentiment on both sides of the border. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday that ‘the roar of Indian troops reached Rawalpindi, the very headquarters of the Pakistani army.’

The defense chief said the military offensive, dubbed Operation Sindur, was ‘not just a military action but a symbol of India's political, social and strategic strength of will’.

Pakistan held parades near the border where the military was showered with petals, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared 11 May a day to ‘recognize the military's response to India's recent aggression’.

Commentator Baqir Sajjad, writing in Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, called the ceasefire a ‘calculated victory’ for Pakistan that ‘decisively deprived a much stronger India of the military advantage and diplomatic position it had sought.’

Celebrations and rallies were held across the country to mark the day, especially in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, which has been on the frontline of aggressive cross-border shelling for weeks.

Raja Farooq Haider Khan, a former leader of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, led a celebratory rally near the disputed border with Kashmir. ‘Today we celebrate the bravery of our armed forces who have been defending us,’ he said.

He expressed gratitude to Trump for helping to resolve the conflict. ‘This time we were so close to war that his involvement was very welcome. But we must say that without a long-term solution to the Kashmir problem, peace cannot prevail in the region.’

Sahad, a resident of Neelum Valley in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, said the past few days have been the worst of her life. ‘No one can be happier than us as we live in the shadow of border posts and firing from India. Everyone is happy that normal life has returned to us,’ she says.

Celebrations were also held on the Indian side of the border, states The Guardian. However, residents living near the disputed border said that while the ceasefire is welcome, it does not address the core issue of the often bloody dispute between India and Pakistan over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which dates back to the partition of India in 1947.

Thus, Lal Din, 55, a resident of Poonch, the worst-hit area along the Indian border in Kashmir, where hundreds of homes have been destroyed and scores killed in a cross-border fire, recalls that Kashmiris have faced a similar situation many times before - a ‘temporary ceasefire brokered by world powers’.

‘The basic problem remains unresolved - soldiers are still confronting each other with guns and tanks,’ he said. ‘Today it was one dispute, tomorrow it will be another, and again there will be guns rattling, getting caught in the crossfire of civilians like me. We are mere numbers in this confrontation of nuclear powers. I implore both sides: resolve your differences, live in peace and let us live.’

After weeks of rising tensions, this week's attacks began on Wednesday when Indian missiles struck nine sites in Pakistan, killing 31 people. India said the strikes targeted ‘terrorist infrastructure and terrorist training camps’ in retaliation for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir late last month in which militants killed 25 Hindu tourists and a tour guide, blamed on Pakistan-backed extremists.

The situation further escalated after India accused Pakistan of two consecutive overnight drone attacks.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance reportedly spent 48 hours in intense diplomatic talks with the two countries, as a result of which they managed to convince them to lay down their arms on Saturday. Initially, Vance said the US would not intervene in the escalation of hostilities between the US and Pakistan, saying it was ‘none of our business’. However, according to sources, their attitude changed after US intelligence raised concerns that the conflict could escalate into a full-blown nuclear threat.

The active US role in the ceasefire, including phone calls from Trump himself, reportedly seems to have reawakened the President's interest in the subcontinent and he has promised to substantially increase trade with both India and Pakistan.

At a press briefing on Sunday, Indian military officials provided more details of their offensive against Pakistan and said it was Pakistan that first requested the ceasefire.

India said five of its soldiers were killed in Pakistani shelling along the border and said Pakistan lost about 40 soldiers in shelling along the Line of Control. India also claimed that 100 terrorists living across the border in Pakistan were killed. It was not possible to confirm these figures.

New Delhi also claimed that ‘several Pakistani aircraft have been shot down’. Asked about Pakistan's claims, backed by expert analysis of the wreckage, that Pakistani missiles shot down at least three Indian warplanes during Wednesday's offensive, including French Rafale fighter jets worth several million dollars, India said ‘the losses are part of the conflict’ and that all its pilots had returned home.