Pakistan Army initiates unprovoked small-arms firing along LoC, Indian Army says

Firing by Pakistan Army was also reported from their posts across the LoC in Baramulla and Kupwara districts, as well as across the International Border in the Pargwal Sector.

Jammu: Pakistani troops engaged in unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) in multiple sectors across four border districts of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting Indian forces to 'respond effectively', officials said on Wednesday.

The firing, which began with small arms, was reported from the Pargwal sector along the IB in Jammu district, and the Sunderbani and Naushera sectors in Rajouri district.

This marked the sixth consecutive night of ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC, amidst heightened tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad following a recent terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22.

"On the night of April 29-30, Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small-arms fire across the Line of Control opposite the Naushera, Sunderbani, and Akhnoor sectors in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir," a defence spokesperson in Jammu said.

The Indian Army troops responded swiftly and proportionately, the spokesperson added.

Similar incidents of unprovoked small-arms fire were also reported from Pakistani posts across the LoC in Baramulla and Kupwara districts in the Kashmir Valley, and across the IB in the Pargwal sector.

Initially, the firing began in Kupwara and Baramulla districts and then spread to the Poonch and Akhnoor sectors. It further escalated to the Sunderbani and Naushera sectors in Rajouri district, followed by firing along the IB in Jammu’s Pargwal sector.

Since the night of April 24, shortly after India suspended the Indus Water Treaty in response to the killing of 26 people in the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistani troops have been engaging in unprovoked firing at various locations along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, starting from the Kashmir valley.

On the same day, Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines, suspended trade and closed the Wagah border crossing, and warned that any attempt to divert water under the Indus Water Treaty would be considered an "Act of War".

India and Pakistan had agreed to a renewed ceasefire in February 2021 when the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries reaffirmed their commitment to the 2003 ceasefire agreement.

India shares a 3,323-km-long border with Pakistan, comprising the International Border (IB), approximately 2,400 km from Gujarat to Akhnoor in Jammu; the 740-km-long LoC from Jammu to Leh; and the 110-km Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) in the Siachen region.