Pakistan Army gives befitting reply to Indian firing along LoC

Pakistan’s military leadership reiterates its resolve to defend the country’s territorial integrity

State TV reported citing security sources that the Pakistani army gave an effective response to unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on the morning of April 29 and 30. Indian troops initiated ceasefire violations in the Kayani and Mandal sectors using small arms. The Pakistan Army immediately retaliated, targeting Indian posts, in what security sources described as a strong and effective response.

PTV News reported that several Indian posts were damaged during the Pakistani army’s retaliatory action. Pakistan’s military leadership reiterated its resolve to defend the country’s territorial integrity and said that any violation along the LoC would be met with a befitting reply. Earlier, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) detected four Indian Rafale fighter jets patrolling near the Line of Control (LoC) on the intervening night of April 29 and 30, after which they had to retreat after a coordinated counter-attack.

Security sources said the Indian jets were patrolling the airspace over Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) when the PAF aircraft detected their presence and responded immediately. Tensions have escalated between the two nuclear-armed neighbours following an attack in Pahalgam, located in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The attack on April 22 killed 26 people, most of them tourists, in one of the deadliest incidents in the region since 2000. On April 23, India unilaterally suspended the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), a key World Bank-brokered water-sharing agreement that has been in place since several disputes between the two countries.

The next day, Pakistan retaliated by threatening to abrogate the 1972 Simla Agreement and close its airspace to Indian flights. India has suggested that the attack may have involved cross-border links, although it has not provided concrete evidence. Pakistan, on the other hand, has strongly denied any involvement. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for an independent investigation into the incident to determine the truth.

Meanwhile, Information Minister Atta Tarar warned late Tuesday that Islamabad has reliable intelligence indicating that India could launch a military strike in the next 24 to 36 hours, using the Pahalgam attack as a pretext.