The Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked firing on the International Border (IB) in Jammu district on Wednesday, following six consecutive days of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC).

A Defence Ministry spokesperson confirmed that small arms fire from Pakistan Army posts was reported across both the LoC in Baramulla and Kupwara districts, and the IB in the Pargwal Sector, during the night of April 29-30.

“Indian Army troops responded appropriately,” the spokesperson said.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated following the brutal killing of 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and a local resident on April 22 in the Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam.

In his first public reaction to the Pahalgam attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed that the terrorists, along with their handlers and backers, would be relentlessly pursued.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a 40-minute meeting with the Prime Minister on Monday, after receiving a detailed briefing from the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) regarding the preparedness of the armed forces to handle any situation.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha recently held a security review meeting with Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi in Srinagar. During the meeting, Sinha directed the Army to use all necessary force to track down the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack.

Security forces have intensified operations across the region, demolishing the houses of terrorists and their known associates to send a strong message to militant networks. Last Friday, the homes of Adil Hussain Thokar and Asif Sheikh, both affiliated with LeT and involved in the Pahalgam killings, were demolished in Tral and Bijbehara areas respectively. So far, the houses of 10 active terrorists have been destroyed in the Kashmir Valley.

On Monday, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly unanimously condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and passed a resolution denouncing the violence.