Pakistani Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar announced Thursday that senior military officials from Pakistan and India have agreed to extend the ongoing ceasefire along the Line of Control until Sunday, May 18.

Speaking before the Senate, Dar said that direct communication between the two militaries took place on Wednesday and Thursday. “We held talks today, and the ceasefire will remain in effect until May 18,” he stated.

The development comes amid heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors following a deadly attack on April 22 in Indian-administered Kashmir, where gunmen killed 26 people—most of them Hindus—at a tourist site.

India has accused a Pakistan-based militant group of orchestrating the assault and vowed to respond, further fueling fears of renewed conflict in the disputed region.

The agreement to extend the ceasefire is seen as a rare gesture of de-escalation in a region long plagued by repeated military flare-ups and deep-rooted political hostility.