For the eighth consecutive day, Pakistani forces have been engaged in unprovoked small arms firing on Indian military targets on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, escalating tensions in the region.
In a release published by the Defence Ministry on Friday, "During the night of May 1 and 2, Pakistan Army troops reveled in indiscriminate small arms fire from troops occupying posts across the LoC facing the Union Territory of Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Naushera, and Akhnoor sectors of Jammu and Kashmir."
The ministry continued, "Indian Army personnel retaliated in a proportionate and measured response.".
In addition to the LoC breaches, the Pakistani soldiers also breached the ceasefire agreement on Thursday by opening fire along the International Border in the Jammu's Pargwal sector.
These hostilities follow a brutal terrorist attack on April 22, when 26 civilians — 25 tourists and one local — were shot dead in the Baisaran meadow area of Pahalgam. The terrorists belonged to the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), a Pakistan-supported and funded group, Indian officials claim.
The attack brought indignation across the country. In reaction to the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated, "The terrorists, their handlers and sponsors would be pursued and hunted to the ends of the earth."
Giving the armed forces full operational freedom, the Prime Minister has left them free to choose the timing, scale, and targets for counter-retaliation in response to the Pahalgam massacre.
On Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Prime Minister Modi for 40 minutes after receiving a detailed briefing from the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on Indian forces' readiness to confront any threat.
In a follow-up development, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha recently called on Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi in Srinagar to take stock of the security situation. During the meeting, Sinha directed the Army to use all force at their disposal to get the Pahalgam attackers booked.
Concurrently, security personnel have intensified operations against militants and their sympathizers. In a staunch display of will, officials have continued to demolish residences of active terrorists. Two houses — Adil Hussain Thokar's and Asif Sheikh's — were demolished on last Friday in Tral and Bijbehara. They are both well-established members of the LeT network that carried out the Pahalgam massacres.
Till now, ten terror Houses of terrorists who were allegedly operating in the Kashmir Valley have been demolished in this crackdown till now.
There was a rare display of political unity as the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on Monday condemning the heinous attack and expressing solidarity with the victims in one voice.
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