Amid mounting tension and exchange of fire at multiple places along the Line of Control after the , nominated officers from the Directorate General of Military Operations (DGMO) of India and Pakistan spoke over the hotline Tuesday.
Sources in the Defence establishment said although it was a weekly call, the Indian side strongly objected to the along the LoC and warned the Pakistan Army against unprovoked firing.
Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fire for the sixth day Wednesday. As the LoC hots up, worried residents of border areas have begun renovating and cleaning bunkers — their refuge during shelling.
The ceasefire, effected in 2003 and again in 2021, appears to be very fragile now given the repeated exchange of fire ever since the .
The Army accused Pakistani troops of violating the ceasefire. “Unprovoked small arms firing by Pakistan Army was also reported from their (Pakistan) posts across the Line of Control in Baramulla and Kupwara districts as well as across the International Border in Pargwal sector,” the Defence spokesman said. “Indian Army troops responded appropriately.”
Pakistan has been violating the ceasefire ever since April 23, the day after the Pahalgam terror attack. It was also the day India announced a raft of measures against Pakistan, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.
This is a timeline of the violations:
April 23: Pakistan opens fire in Tattapani and Mendhar sectors in Poonch, .
April 25, 26: Pakistan fires at multiple places on the LoC in the Valley and Jammu regions.
April 27: Ceasefire violations reported in Tutmar Gali and Rampur sectors in the Valley.
April 28: Pakistan Army opens fire in Poonch and Kupwara.
April 29: Pakistan opens fire on the Chenab post in the Pargwal sector of Akhnoor on the International Border.
April 30: Pakistan Army opens fire on Indian positions in Baramulla and Kupwara districts. Also fire at an Indian position in the Pargwal sector.
The repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan and targeting of Indian posts have sent tensions soaring in the border areas. Fearing a return to the days before the 2003 ceasefire, residents have begun renovating bunkers.
Farooq Ahmad, a resident of Churanda village in Baramulla’s Uri sector, said over the phone: “Barring a few incidents, the LoC was peaceful for more than two decades.”
“We had left our bunkers unattended and they were crumbling. But now, we have started to renovate them,” he said.
Zubair Ahmad, a resident of Sopore, has already started stocking supplies. “People are worried… I have stocked some essential items.”
