A day after India’s high-precision counterstrike codenamed Operation Sindoor, tensions flared dramatically along the Line of Control (LoC), as unprovoked Pakistani firing claimed the lives of a soldier and 12 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir. The barrage of artillery and mortar shelling marked one of the fiercest ceasefire violations in recent years.
The Pakistani Army targeted multiple sectors across the LoC, including Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, and Akhnoor, with sustained small arms fire and heavy artillery from the night of May 7 to the early hours of May 8. According to an official Indian Army statement, the attacks were met with a proportional response, though India emphasized its continued restraint in the face of provocation.
This escalation follows India’s targeted operation on May 7, in which 24 precision missile strikes were carried out against nine terror camps based in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). These camps reportedly housed operatives from Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen. The swift 25-minute operation, launched at 1:05 a.m., reportedly neutralized 70 militants and injured 60 others, in direct retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that had left 26 civilians dead.
India's Ministry of Defence reaffirmed that Operation Sindoor was conducted with deliberate restraint, ensuring no Pakistani military infrastructure was targeted. “Our actions were precise, limited, and non-escalatory. We continue to hold accountable those behind the brutal Pahalgam attack,” read the statement.
However, Pakistan’s response has been anything but restrained. Their forces launched a barrage that indiscriminately hit civilian areas along the LoC, including forward villages where the damage and casualties were severe. Among the deceased was Indian soldier Dinesh Kumar Sharma of Haryana, whose sacrifice was acknowledged by Chief Minister Nayab Saini. "The nation bows in gratitude. His martyrdom will forever be etched in our memory," he stated.
The violence is part of a broader uptick in hostilities that began after India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, following the April 22 terror strike in Baisaran Valley—popularly known as "Mini Switzerland." That attack, one of the most devastating since the 2019 abrogation of Article 370, created panic among tourists as militants opened fire in the open terrain, leaving little room for escape.
Since April 24, Pakistani forces have engaged in near-daily ceasefire violations, drawing concern over potential escalation in a region already on edge. As civilian casualties mount and tensions simmer, the international community is watching closely, hoping diplomacy prevails over further bloodshed.
Source: News Agencies