Former three-time premier Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said that Pakistan was a "peace-loving" country, but also "knows how to defend itself".

His comments came after US President Donald Trump announced that India and Pakistan have agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire.

Sharif took to social media to react to the ceasefire agreed between Pakistan and India after days of unrest and tension.

“Pakistan is a peace-loving country and prefers peace, but also knows how to defend itself,” he said in a post on X.

Sharif, the chief of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party, also congratulated the civil and military leadership.

"Thanks be to Allah Almighty for making Pakistan proud. I congratulate and congratulate the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shahbaz Sharif, the Chief of Army Staff, General Syed Asim Munir, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Sindhu, and the armed forces of Pakistan,” he said.

Former foreign minister and Pakistan People's Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan has consistently pursued dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable path to peace and “war, violence and aggression are never the answer”.

“Now that both India and Pakistan have agreed to a ceasefire & dialogue, we welcome this as a victory for diplomacy. We appreciate the role of USA, KSA and all countries involved in achieving this historic milestone,” he said in a message on X.

“As a Pakistani, I could not be more proud of our people, our army and especially our Air Force,” he added.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Gohar Ali Khan said that it was good that peace was coming back to the region. He also said that the response given by Pakistan made the country proud.

“Our response forced India to come up with the white flag (peace),” he said while talking to Geo News.

In a post on X, Punjab province's chief minister Maryam Nawaz said Prime Minister Shehbaz, Army chief General Munir, Pakistan Armed Forces, and her father, Nawaz Sharif, have "made the nation proud" and shown the world that Pakistan is in "safe and patriotic hands".

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar informed the nation about the ceasefire. "Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect. Pakistan has always strived for peace and security in the region, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity!” he wrote on X.

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