LoC tense

Srinagar, May 2: Tensions along the India-Pakistan border continue to mount as Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing for the eighth consecutive night, violating the 2021 ceasefire agreement even as fresh fire trade has brought fears among the border residents.

The Army said late-night gunfire was reported across five districts of Jammu and Kashmir, including Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Naushera, and Akhnoor.

On Thursday night, Pakistani Army posts engaged in unprovoked small arms firing along the Line of Control (LoC), targeting Indian positions across multiple sectors,î an Army spokesman said.

The official said the Indian side responded with calibrated and proportionateî retaliation.

What began as sporadic firing restricted to frontier areas like Kupwara, Poonch, and Rajouri has now expanded to include the LoC in Baramulla district.

The ceasefire violations have sparked fear among civilians in border villages, prompting many to prepare underground cement-and-steel bunkers for possible emergencies.

The fragile peace brokered by the 2021 ceasefire agreement between the two nuclear-armed neighbours now appears to be unravelling.

The current escalation follows the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, where 25 tourists and a local pony wallah were killed in the high-altitude Baisaran meadow.

That attack marked one of the deadliest incidents in Kashmir in recent years and has dramatically altered the diplomatic and military calculus between the two sides.

In response, India has undertaken a series of hardline measures, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), downgrading diplomatic relations, closing the Attari-Wagah border crossing, and expelling Pakistani nationals from the country.

Pakistan has retaliated by blocking its airspace for Indian airlines, shutting down the Wagah crossing, halting bilateral trade, and issuing a stern warning that any interference with water allocations under the IWT would be treated as an ìact of war.î

The escalating border skirmishes come despite efforts at communication, with the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) from both nations speaking via hotline earlier this week.

Indian officials familiar with the discussions say Pakistan was warned against continuing its unprovoked aggression.

On the ground, residents near the LoC and International Border (IB) have begun clearing out community and private bunkers, fearing that the situation could rapidly deteriorate into a broader conflict.

Although no casualties have been reported on the Indian side so far, the continuation of cross-border firing has created an atmosphere of heightened alert and uncertainty in the border areas.

With diplomatic channels strained and military tensions rising, the future of the 2021 ceasefire agreement hangs in the balance, and J&K braces for what may come next.