For the seventh consecutive night, tensions flared along the Line of Control (LoC) as the Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked small-arms fire in Kupwara, Uri, and Akhnoor sectors. The Indian Army responded proportionately, according to Defence PRO Lieutenant Colonel Suneel Bartwal. These provocations follow a string of ceasefire violations that began shortly after India suspended the Indus Water Treaty, reacting to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. In response, India issued a stern warning to Pakistan during a hotline conversation between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs). The ceasefire agreement reaffirmed in 2021 had largely held until this recent escalation.

Meanwhile, border residents in Jammu & Kashmir are hurriedly renovating underground ‘Modi bunkers’- vital shelters during cross-border shelling. With repeated firing reported in Poonch, Baramulla, and Akhnoor, concerns mount over a prolonged period of volatility along the LoC. Both nations remain on high alert as the situation intensifies.