Pakistan violates ceasefire across LoC again, Indian Army responds ‘swiftly, effectively’

Pakistan Army continued to violate the ceasefire across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch and Kupwara districts on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday (April 27-28), an Indian army official said.

The Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing for the fourth consecutive night. The previous three ceasefires were in the areas opposite Tutmari Gali and Rampur sectors.

This comes amid heightened tension between New Delhi and Islamabad following last week's terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists, in the valley.

The Indian Army, in a statement, said the Indian troops responded “swiftly and effectively” to the “unprovoked” small arms fire in areas opposite Kupwara and Poonch districts of the Union Territory.

“During the night of 27-28 April 2025, Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small arms fire across the Line of Control in areas opposite Kupwara and Poonch districts,” the Indian Army said in a statement.

“Indian troops responded swiftly and effectively,” it added.

There were no reports of any casualties.

India responds to Pahalgam terror attack

The Pahalgam attack in Kashmir was the worst terror strike on civilians in India since the 26/11 Mumbai attack.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the “perpetrators and conspirators” of the Pahalgam attack will be “served with the harshest response”.

The prime minister said the attack in the famous tourist town in Kashmir reflected the desperation and cowardice of the patrons of terrorism, a reference to Pakistan, at a time when peace was returning to the Valley.

As part of the anti-terror crackdown that picked up more steam after the Pahalgam attack, authorities have demolished the houses of three more alleged active terrorists in Bandipora, Pulwama and Shopian districts of Jammu and Kashmir. With this, nine houses of suspected terrorists and overground workers of terror outfits have been razed so far since the April 22 attack in Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam.

Security forces have raided more than 500 locations in the Valley in just five days and grilled hundreds of suspects.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) formally took over the Pahalgam terrorist attack probe, registering a case in Jammu on Sunday. Several teams of the agency are involved in searching for evidence and questioning eyewitnesses, including relatives of victims, to uncover the terror conspiracy, officials said.

Pakistanis asked to leave India

Sunday was the last day for Pakistanis with short-term visas in 12 categories to leave India, and a long queue of vehicles was seen at the Attari-Wagah border crossing.

As many as 537 Pakistani nationals, including nine diplomats and officials, left India in four days from the border point since April 24 after the government announced the visa revocation the previous day, officials said.

A total of 850 Indians, including 14 diplomats and officials, have returned from Pakistan through the crossing located in Punjab in the last four days.

(With agency inputs)