DH NEWS SERVICE
jammu, Apr 2
The Pakistani Army violated the ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked firing after a mine explosion along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of J&K on April 1, said an Army spokesperson.
The Indian troops responded effectively in a “controlled and calibrated manner”, and the “situation is under control and being closely monitored”, said Army PRO Lt Colonel Suneel Bartwal on Wednesday.
“On 01 Apr 2025, a mine blast occurred in Krishna Ghati Sector while the Pakistan Army was patrolling along the LoC. This was followed by unprovoked firing and ceasefire violation by Pakistan Army,” the PRO said in a revised statement.
“Our own troops responded effectively. The Indian Army continues to dominate the LoC. The situation is under control,” he said.
“The Indian Army reiterates the importance of upholding the tenets of 2021 understanding arrived at between the Director Generals of Military Operations of the two countries to maintain peace along the Line of Control,” the spokesperson said.
The PRO’s earlier statement had mentioned that “a mine blast occurred in Krishna Ghati Sector due to Pakistan Army intrusion across LoC”. In the “revised statement’’, the PRO did not mention the “Pakistani Army intrusion’’, but admitted that a “mine blast occurred in Krishna Ghati sector while the Pakistan Army was patrolling along the LoC’’.
Though the revised statement appeared to have been issued to clarify that the sanctity of the LoC was maintained, it did not deny intrusion by the Pakistan Army.
Sources said the incident occurred in the Nangi Tikri area of the Krishna Ghati sector around 1.30 pm Tuesday when some people from the Pakistani side, believed to be Army regulars and militants, crossed the LoC apparently to plant some IEDs.
However, one of them stepped over a landmine triggering an explosion. This was followed by two more explosions, the sources said, adding that the IEDs carried by the intruders may also have exploded following the landmine blast, causing some casualties among them.
However, there has been no official confirmation from the Indian Army about casualties among the “Pakistani intruders” in explosions along the LoC. To prevent infiltration by any adversary including militants along the LoC, the Indian troops have laid landmines at various points on its side of the border.
According to the sources, following the explosions, the Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing towards the Indian side in a bid to provide cover to the intruders to move out of the minefield and return across the LoC. The Indian Army retaliated befittingly, the sources said.
Since the start of 2025, there has been a spurt in attempts from the Pakistani side to vitiate the atmosphere along the LoC and the international border, said the sources.
On February 21, India and Pakistan at a Brigadier-level flag meeting at Chakkan Da Bagh in Poonch had agreed to hold the 2021 ceasefire agreed upon between the two sides.
The flag meeting followed the death of two Indian soldiers, including Captain Karamjit Singh Bakshi, in an IED explosion reportedly planted by militants along the LoC in Akhnoor sector on February 11. DAys before that, there had been incidents of sniping of Indian soldiers from across the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts.
The incident comes ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s likely visit to J&K on April 7-8, and also when the security forces and the UT police are engaged in an operation against militants for the last 11 days in the Kathua district. Security forces have so far killed two militants, and their searches for three others are underway in the dense forests of Ramkote area.
Four policemen were also killed when militants, taking advantage of their position on a hilltop, opened fire on a search party on March 27.
The five-member militant group is believed to have entered the Kathua district after crossing the international border with Pakistan last week. The security forces and police initially had the first contact with them on March 23 in the forests at Saniyal village, but they managed to flee.
