Indian and Pakistani Forces Clash Again Along LoC

Tensions continue to rise between India and Pakistan following a recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, located in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. On Thursday night, for the eighth consecutive day, Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged gunfire along the Line of Control (LoC), though no casualties have been reported so far.

According to India Today, the Pakistani military opened fire without provocation from various outposts using small arms, targeting Indian positions in Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Nowshera, and Akhnoor. Indian forces responded with retaliatory fire. As of now, no official statement has been released by the Pakistani government or its media regarding the incident.

On the same day, the Pakistani army conducted a full-scale military drill near the LoC, deploying advanced tanks, artillery, live ammunition, and shells. Sources within the Pakistani military said the exercise was intended to demonstrate readiness to deliver a strong response to any potential threats. The drill involved officers and soldiers from various military units.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has granted full operational freedom to the country's armed forces to respond to any aggression along the border.

The increased hostilities follow the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 people— the deadliest such incident in Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama attack. Accusing Pakistan of indirect involvement, India has taken a series of measures in response, including suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty.

Pakistan retaliated by suspending the Simla Agreement, closing its airspace to Indian aircraft, and halting all trade with India. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued a strong warning, vowing to protect the country's water rights at any cost. PPP leader and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto went even further, warning that "either the waters of the Indus will flow, or the blood of Indians will."

In a further escalation, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Railways Minister Mohammad Hanif Abbasi declared the country is ready for nuclear retaliation if required.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, has vowed to bring all perpetrators and supporters of the Pahalgam attack to justice. "We will hunt down every terrorist and their enablers and deliver punishment they could never imagine," he stated. "The time has come to wipe out all safe havens of terror. The unwavering determination of 1.4 billion Indians will crush the sponsors of terrorism," he further stated.