Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], May 10 (ANI): AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday claimed that there can be no permanent peace as long as Pakistan uses its territory for terrorism against India.

Owaisi added that, regardless of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan, the country must continue pursuing the terrorists behind the Pahalgam terror attack.

In a post on X, Owaisi said, 'As long as Pakistan uses its territory for terrorism against India, there can be no permanent peace. Ceasefire or no ceasefire we must pursue the terrorists responsible for Pahalgam attack. I have always stood by the government & the armed forces against external aggression. This will continue. I thank the armed forces for their bravery & their commendable skill. I pay homage to Army jawan, M Murali Naik, ADDC Raj Kumar Thapa & pray for all the civilians who were killed or injured during the conflict.'

Owaisi expressed hope that the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan would bring relief to people living in border areas.

He stressed that India is strongest when united and warned that its enemies benefit when Indians are divided.

'I hope this ceasefire gives respite to the people living in border areas. I also hope that Indians and Indian political parties learn from the past two weeks: India is strong when it is united; our enemies benefit when Indians fight Indians,' Owaisi said in the post.

Owaisi expressed concern over third-party mediation in ending hostilities between India and Pakistan and questioned why India accepted foreign intervention despite opposing it since the 1972 Shimla Agreement.

'I have some questions, and I hope the government will clarify: I wish our PM @narendramodi had announced the ceasefire rather than the President of a foreign country. We have always been opposed to third-party intervention since Simla (1972). Why have we now accepted it? I hope the Kashmir issue will not be internationalised, as it is our internal matter,' Owaisi said.

He also called for continued efforts to keep Pakistan on the FATF grey list.

'Why are we agreeing to talk on a neutral territory? What will be the agenda of these talks? Does the United States guarantee that Pakistan will not use its territory for terrorism? Have we achieved our aim of deterring Pakistan from carrying out future terror attacks? Was our goal to get a Trump-brokered ceasefire or was it to bring Pakistan to such a position that it would not even dream of another terror attack? We must continue the international campaign to put Pakistan in the FATF grey list,' Owaisi said in the post.

Earlier today, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in a press briefing said that Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations contacted his Indian counterpart and the two sides agreed to halt all military actions--on land, at sea, and in the air, effective from 5:00 pm.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, 'India and Pakistan have today worked out an understanding on the stoppage of firing and military action. India has consistently maintained a firm and uncompromising stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It will continue to do so.'

Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that both countries had agreed to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.

'Over the past 48 hours, VP Vance and I have engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and National Security Advisors Ajit Doval and Asim Malik. I am pleased to announce that the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site. We commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif on their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace,' he said.

The Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, targeting nine terrorist infrastructure sites inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK).

The operation was a retaliatory response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 civilian lives, including one Nepali national.

Following this, Pakistan escalated hostilities, engaging in unprovoked military actions using artillery guns and drones. (ANI)