ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s powerful retaliatory strikes in response to Indian military attacks forced New Delhi into an urgent retreat and compelled it to seek international mediation to de-escalate tensions, American journalist Nic Robertson told CNN.
In a televised report for CNN, Robertson revealed that it was India that approached the United States to help broker a ceasefire after Pakistan responded with a massive and relentless barrage of missiles and rockets targeting Indian military installations.
Citing a source present in high-level negotiations, Robertson said the strikes caught India off guard and significantly shifted the momentum in Pakistan’s favour.
“I was speaking to a source who was literally in the room — it included US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who, I was told, played a significant role in facilitating the ceasefire that was achieved just about an hour ago,” Robertson stated on-air.
“This had been in the works for perhaps the last 48 hours. As we’ve been reporting, Pakistan had entered a sort of military pause, creating a window for diplomacy. However, this fell apart early this morning when India launched attacks on three airbases, one of them near the capital.”
Robertson said that following India’s strikes, Pakistan launched “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos”, targeting Indian airbases, military facilities, and weapons storage sites in a rapid and overwhelming counteroffensive.
“Pakistan rained down missiles without stopping,” he said, adding that the scale and precision of the response forced India to seek urgent intervention from the US, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.
“The source said this is a ceasefire for now — if everything works out. But tensions remain extremely high,” Robertson warned.
“There was a sense that if diplomacy had failed, the situation could have spiralled into something far worse. It was now or never.”
The latest escalation began on 7 May when at least 31 civilians, including children, were killed in what Pakistan described as an unprovoked Indian cross-border attack.
In retaliation, Pakistan claimed downing five Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets — including three Rafales — and dozens of drones, many of them Israeli-made IAI Heron UAVs.
On Friday night, the Indian military launched missile attacks on Pakistani airbases, including Noor Khan, Murid, and Shorkot, using aircraft-fired missiles, according to the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.
Following these attacks, Pakistan initiated a full-spectrum response early Saturday morning, striking multiple military installations deep inside Indian territory, including a key missile storage site in the north. The intensity of Pakistan’s response led to a rapid shift in the diplomatic landscape.
Hours later, US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been reached. “After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
According to Robertson, water rights remain a critical and unresolved issue for Pakistan. He reported that India had cut off water supplies from three rivers originating in Kashmir, which Pakistan views as an existential threat.
“The key issue for Pakistan going forward is water,” Robertson noted. “But for now, this is a ceasefire — everything will work out from there.”
