Border Bristles: Pakistan violates ceasefire, India responds

New Delhi: The situation along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan heated up on Friday, with ceasefire violations and multiple incidents of 'speculative firing' on the other side, a move that's typically carried out in fear of an incoming assault.

Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi was also in Jammu and Kashmir, and held deliberations with his top commanders in the Union territory. He met Army commanders in Srinagar as well as the Northern Army Command headquarters of Udhampur, which is tasked with operations that deal with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The General is the second high-profile visit after Tuesday's terrorist attack on tourists at Pahalgam that left 26 dead. Earlier, home minister Amit Shah had reviewed the security situation.

People in the know said that small arms firing was observed at multiple locations from the Pakistani side on Friday. Most of this was directed within but in Tutmari Gali of Kupwara, Indian posts also came under fire. Officials said all firing directed toward Indian posts was effectively responded to.


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The 'speculative firing' that was heard on the Pakistani side across large sections of the LoC is likely to have been carried out to probe whether Indian forces are launching an assault. The people cited earlier said the gunfire was, however, limited to small arms such as assault rifles and light machine guns, and has not yet crossed the threshold to involve mortars and artillery, which can have a range of over 30 km. It may be recalled that in 2016, Indian special forces mounted shallow cross-border strikes along the LoC to target terror launch pads.

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While there has been no official statement on the Army chief's visit to Jammu and Kashmir, it is believed he reviewed the preparedness of troops along the LoC, as well as operational plans being formulated to counter terrorists and their support structures across the border.

Troops along the disputed border were put on high alert following the attack in Pahalgam, and the anti-infiltration grid has been further strengthened with additional troops and resources.