JAMMU, May 4: Pakistani troops have continued unprovoked small arms fire along various sectors of the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, drawing a firm response from the Indian Army, officials reported on Sunday.
The latest ceasefire violations occurred at eight locations across five districts during the night between Saturday and Sunday. No casualties have been reported so far, officials added.
This marks the 10th straight night of cross-border firing, escalating tensions in the region after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, most of them tourists.
“Around the night of May 3-4, Pakistani Army posts initiated unprovoked small arms fire across the LoC in areas facing Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, Mendhar, Naushera, Sunderbani, and Akhnoor. The Indian Army responded swiftly and proportionately,” a defence spokesperson said.
Such incidents have been uncommon since India and Pakistan agreed to uphold a ceasefire on February 25, 2021.
As a precaution, alarmed residents in border villages have begun clearing out and preparing community and personal bunkers for use.
The latest round of firing began on April 24—hours after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The shelling started with small arms fire in Kupwara and Baramulla, then spread to the Poonch and Akhnoor sectors in the Jammu region.
The attacks continued in the Sunderbani and Naushera sectors of Rajouri, eventually extending to Mendhar in Poonch and the international border in Pargwal, Jammu district.
These renewed ceasefire breaches come despite a recent hotline exchange between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries, during which India reportedly issued a warning to Pakistan.
On April 24, Pakistan escalated its stance by shutting down its airspace to Indian carriers, closing the Wagah border crossing, halting trade with India, and declaring any effort to divert water a potential “Act of War.”
