A tense silence settled over India and Pakistan as millions woke Thursday: no more missiles had been fired, schools in most areas had reopened and both sides appeared to be claiming victory.

A series of military strikes last week by India and Pakistan brought the nuclear-armed rivals closer to a broader war.

The recent sparks of war between India and Pakistan, apart from the long-standing Kashmir issue, have brought renewed attention to Chinese weapons,

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed there were no radiation leaks from any nuclear facilities in Pakistan amid the recent military escalation with India. This clarification follows speculation linking India’s Operation Sindoor to potential nuclear site strikes near Kirana Hills.

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.

The recent military engagement over Kashmir by South Asia’s arch enemies saw India deploy its French and US weapons against Pakistan’s new range of sophisticated Chinese arms. In its first battlefield test against Western arms,

The recent military escalation with arch-rival India won't have a large fiscal impact on Pakistan and can be managed within the current fiscal space, with no need for a new economic assessment, Pakistan's Finance Minister said in an interview with Reuters on Monday.

India and Pakistan have been pushed a step closer to war after a gun massacre of tourists on April 22, their most serious confrontation in decades.