Pak troops target forward posts along LoC in 8 sectors across J&K, Indian Army retaliates

Jammu: Pakistani troops continued to violate the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, resorting to unprovoked firing across multiple sectors and prompting a strong and calibrated response from the Indian Army.

This marks the 12th consecutive night of such provocations amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 dead.

“During the night of May 5-6, Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked small-arms fire across the LoC in areas opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, Mendhar, Naushera, Sunderbani, and Akhnoor,” said a Defence spokesperson in Jammu.

“The Indian Army responded promptly and proportionately,” he added.

The firing exchanges are taking places in five districts out of seven border districts of Jammu and Kashmir. So far, there has been no firing reports along International Border in Samba and Kathua districts.

The latest round of cross-border firing further undermines the ceasefire agreement reached in February 2021, which is now largely seen as ineffective due to Pakistan’s frequent violations across the 740-km-long LoC.

The latest hostilities began in the northern districts of Kupwara and Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley, before spreading southwards to Rajouri, Poonch, Akhnoor, and the Pargwal sector along the International Border in Jammu district. The firing affected five border districts -- Baramulla, Kupwara, Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu.

Since the night of April 24, hours after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in response to the Pahalgam terror attack—Pakistani troops have repeatedly targeted Indian positions along the LoC, beginning in the Kashmir Valley and quickly expanding to the Jammu region.

In a series of retaliatory measures, Pakistan blocked its airspace for Indian carriers, shut down the Wagah border crossing, suspended bilateral trade, and warned that any diversion of water under the Indus Waters Treaty would be considered an “Act of War.” The February 2021 agreement was a reaffirmation of the original 2003 ceasefire understanding. However, the ground situation has deteriorated significantly, with ceasefire norms routinely flouted by Pakistani forces.

India and Pakistan share a 3,323-kilometre-long border, divided into three segments including the International Border (IB), stretching about 2,400 km from Gujarat to Akhnoor in Jammu, the 740-km-long Line of Control (LoC) from Jammu to Ladakh, and the 110-km-long Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) that divides the Siachen Glacier region from NJ9842 to Indira Col.