The Pakistani troops con- tinued unprovoked firing along multiple sectors of the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir during the intervening night of Sat- urday and Sunday, prompt- ing effective retaliation by the Indian Army, defence officials said. The latest ceasefire vio- lations — reported from eight locations across five districts — mark the 10th consecutive night of cross- border firing, escalating tensions in the region since the deadly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, mostly of tourists.
“During the night of May 3 and 4, Pakistan Army posts resorted to unprovoked small arms fire across the LoC in areas opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, Mendhar, Naushera, Sunderbani, and Akhnoor. The Indian Army responded promptly and proportionately,” said a defence spokesperson. Though no casualties were reported in the latest incidents, the continued ceasefire breaches have triggered panic among border residents, many of whom have begun clearing and preparing their community and personal bunkers. The violations have been escalating since April 24 — just hours after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in response to the Pahalgam attack. Initially confined to north Kashmir’s Kupwara and Baramulla, the firing quickly spread to Poonch, Rajouri, and the Akhnoor sector in Jammu. The unprovoked firing also extended to the International Border in Pargwal sector of Jammu district, despite a recent DGMO-level hotline talk in which India reportedly issued a strong warning to Pakistan. This surge in ceasefire violations marks a sharp deviation from the relative calm maintained since the India-Pakistan ceasefire understanding of February 25, 2021.
