Pakistani troops have engaged in unprovoked firing across the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) in multiple sectors across four border districts of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting a response from Indian forces, officials said on Wednesday.
The firing, which started with small arms, was reported from the Pargwal sector along the IB in Jammu district, as well as the Sunderbani and Naushera sectors in Rajouri district.
The officials said that this marked the sixth consecutive night of ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC. The tensions have escalated following the attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which led to casualties, and India’s subsequent actions in response to the incident.
A defence spokesperson in Jammu confirmed that on the night of April 29-30, Pakistani Army posts initiated unprovoked small-arms fire across the LoC in the Naushera, Sunderbani, and Akhnoor sectors in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Army responded “swiftly and proportionately,” the spokesperson added.
Similar incidents were reported from Pakistani posts across the LoC in Baramulla and Kupwara districts in the Kashmir Valley, as well as along the IB in the Pargwal sector. The initial firing in Kupwara and Baramulla districts spread to Poonch and Akhnoor sectors, before escalating to Sunderbani and Naushera sectors in Rajouri district.
Since April 24, when India suspended the Indus Water Treaty following the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people, Pakistani troops have been consistently engaging in unprovoked firing along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, starting from the Kashmir Valley. Pakistan also closed its airspace to Indian airlines, suspended trade, and closed the Wagah border crossing on the same day, warning that any attempt to divert water under the Indus Water Treaty would be considered an “Act of War.”
India and Pakistan had previously agreed to a renewed ceasefire in February 2021, when the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) from both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the 2003 ceasefire agreement.
India shares a 3,323-km-long border with Pakistan, which includes the International Border (IB), the LoC, and the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) in the Siachen region.
