Ceasefire pact under strain as India returns Pak salvo at LoC

Pakistani forces opened fire at multiple points along the Line of Control (LoC) for a second day on Saturday, an escalation in hostilities that threatens the February 2021 ceasefire agreement, officials aware of the matter said.

- Rahul Singh

SRINAGAR:

Scores of Indian posts across north Kashmir were targeted on Friday night, sparking the most extensive cross-border exchange in four years as the Pakistani salvo was returned, the officials said on Saturday, asking not to be named.

Unlike isolated, brief exchanges that were quickly resolved through established channels since the 2021 ceasefire agreement, the current pattern involves simultaneous salvos at multiple points across most of the 740-km frontier and has persisted with increasing frequency since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack—signalling a possible intent toward escalation, the officials said.

Forward deployed Indian soldiers responded firmly to the night-long ceasefire violations in sectors including Uri, Tangdhar, Kupwara and Gurez, and are fully prepared to handle the adversary's aggression and provocations, the officials said. The latest provocation came after Pakistani soldiers violated the ceasefire at Tutmari Gali in north Kashmir on Thursday.