Who’s running Pakistan? Army breaches ceasefire as PM Sharif thanks Donald Trump on social media

Just hours after agreeing to a ceasefire, Pakistan broke it—firing shells, sending drones across border areas—while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was busy thanking Donald Trump on X for “bringing peace.”

The ceasefire, announced Saturday, was meant to end four tense days of cross-border military action. But by nightfall, artillery shelling had returned in sectors across Jammu and Kashmir, drones were shot down in Baramulla and Kutch, and blackouts were enforced in border towns including Srinagar, Barmer, Amritsar, Katra, and Ferozepur.

“This is no ceasefire,” wrote J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on X, as air defence units fired into the night sky. “Explosions heard across Srinagar!”

The contradiction between the violence on the ground and the messaging from Islamabad was hard to miss. “We thank President Trump for his leadership and proactive role for peace in the region,” Sharif posted, adding that Pakistan “accepted this outcome in the interest of regional peace and stability.”

In a statement around 11 pm, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, "Over the past three hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding arrived at earlier this evening between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan. This is a breach of the understanding arrived at earlier today. The armed forces are giving an adequate and appropriate response to these violations and we take very, very serious notice of these violations."

The flare-up is fueling questions about who controls the ceasefire narrative in Pakistan. While Sharif praised the U.S. for mediating the deal, analysts point to the military’s dominant role. The believe the standoff could give Pakistan’s military a chance to rebuild its public image.

Umer Farooq, an Islamabad-based journalist and former correspondent for Jane’s Defence Weekly, told the BBC in an interview: “We have a deeply fractured political society, with the country’s most popular leader behind bars. Imran Khan’s imprisonment triggered a strong anti-military backlash. Today, the public is far less eager to support the military—but if opinion in Punjab shifts, the military could use this conflict to rebuild its image.”