Tensions between India and Pakistan took a sharp turn on Thursday, as both sides reportedly exchanged gunfire along the Line of Control (LoC), just hours after Pakistan scrapped all peace agreements with its neighbour.
According to reports, the firing began early on April 25. An Indian Army official told ANI news agency that small arms were used spur of violence. Indian Army officials said no casualties have been reported so far but emphasised that firing initiated from Pakistan’s side.
The gunfire came soon after Pakistan announced it was cutting off all peace deals with India, including the historic Simla Agreement. This decision came as a reaction to India’s strong accusations that Pakistan supports cross-border terrorism. In response, Islamabad also shut its airspace to Indian flights, cancelled visas, suspended trade, and closed its borders.
Earlier in the week, India made a major move by officially ending the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. This treaty, signed in 1960, had allowed Pakistan access to water from rivers that flow from India.
Now, New Delhi says that agreement no longer stands. India’s Ministry of Water Resources sent a letter to its Pakistani counterpart saying, “Pakistan has not kept its promises under the treaty and continues to support terrorism targeting Jammu and Kashmir.”
This series of actions follows a tragic attack in Kashmir that left at least 26 people dead, many of them tourists. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly condemned the attack and promised to find and punish those behind it. “We will track and punish every terrorist and their backers,” he said.
India blamed Pakistan for the attack, but Islamabad denied any involvement. A new militant group, calling itself the Kashmir Resistance, claimed responsibility for the violence.
