Jammu– The Pakistani Army violated the ceasefire agreement on Monday along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, prompting a strong response from the Indian Army, officials said.
“Today, the Pakistani Army violated the bilateral ceasefire in the Digwar sector of Poonch district. The Indian Army responded appropriately,” officials confirmed.
Following the incident, a search operation was launched to ensure that no infiltration took place under the cover of Pakistani firing.
This marks the second ceasefire violation in recent days. On April 1, the Pakistani Army opened unprovoked fire following a mine explosion along the LoC in Poonch. According to an official Army statement, Indian troops responded in a “controlled and calibrated manner.”
Monday’s violation occurred during Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing BJP MLAs in Jammu on Sunday evening, Shah assured them that the security situation in the Jammu division would normalize soon.
Security forces have been on high alert in the region, particularly in the hilly areas of Poonch, Rajouri, Kathua, and Kishtwar districts, where foreign terrorists are believed to be operating.
On March 23, five terrorists who had infiltrated across the International Border in Kathua district were intercepted by local police in Sanyal village, approximately four kilometers inside Indian territory. Two terrorists were killed in the encounter, but the clash also resulted in the deaths of four police officers.
Since then, joint security forces have expanded their “seek and destroy” operations to the higher reaches of the Kathua and Rajouri districts in pursuit of the remaining terrorists. A brief encounter between the terrorists and joint forces occurred on Friday in the Billawar area of Kathua district.
Officials say the elevated and forested areas of Kathua are being used by terrorists as routes to infiltrate into the neighboring Rajouri and Poonch districts.
To counter potential hit-and-run attacks, around 4,000 highly trained Army Para commandos, skilled in mountain warfare, have been deployed across the dense forests in these regions. Following the implementation of the revised strategy, no new hit-and-run attacks have been reported in Poonch, Rajouri, or Kathua districts—unlike the spate of incidents witnessed in the last quarter of 2024. (Source: IANS)
