NEW DELHI, May 5: For the 11th straight day, the Pakistan Army continued its unprovoked small arms firing at Indian positions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, prompting a strong and proportional response from the Indian Army, according to a statement from the Defence Ministry.
“During the night of May 4–5, 2025, Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small arms fire across the LoC in areas opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, Mendhar, Naushera, Sunderbani, and Akhnoor in J&K,” the Ministry stated, confirming that Indian troops retaliated effectively in all sectors.
The cross-border aggression mirrors similar incidents that occurred the previous night, May 3–4, in the same sectors, where Indian forces had also responded with strength.
Tensions have been steadily escalating between India and Pakistan since the brutal Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, in which 26 civilians — including 25 tourists and one local resident — were killed in the Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam, sparking national outrage and condemnation.
In response, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed that all those responsible — including the terrorists, their handlers, and backers — would be pursued and neutralized “to the ends of the earth.”
India has since initiated several strong retaliatory measures against Pakistan, including the deportation of Pakistani nationals, closure of the Attari-Wagah border, suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, implementation of airspace restrictions on Pakistani commercial flights, and cancellation of all trade and cultural exchanges.
Furthermore, PM Modi granted operational freedom to the armed forces to take necessary actions in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack. The directive came following a high-level security review meeting that included Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, and the three service chiefs.
On April 28, Defence Minister Singh also held a 40-minute one-on-one meeting with the Prime Minister after receiving a detailed briefing from the CDS regarding military preparedness.
Meanwhile, Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha conducted a security review meeting in Srinagar with Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi. During the meeting, he instructed the Army to use all necessary force to eliminate the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack.
Security forces have since intensified their crackdown on terrorists, overground workers (OGWs), and their sympathisers. On April 25, the houses of Adil Hussain Thokar and Asif Sheikh — two terrorists involved in the Pahalgam killings — were demolished in Tral and Bijbehara, respectively.
To date, the residences of 10 active terrorists have been demolished across the Kashmir Valley as part of the crackdown.
Additionally, on April 28, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly passed a unanimous resolution condemning the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam.
