Heavy shelling by Pakistan on LoC, Srinagar airport closed
Srinagar: Pakistan began targeting Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in the early hours of Wednesday with heavy artillery shelling, hours after Indian forces carried out precision missile strikes on nine terror targets in retaliation to the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people. An Indian army observation post is seen along the Line of Control (LoC) Kashmir on May 2, 2025. (AFP)
Since the April 22 terror attack at Baisaran, the worst strike on civilians in nearly two decades, Pakistan has repeatedly flouted the ceasefire along the LoC and the international border for 12 consecutive days. But Wednesday morning saw the first instance of heavy shelling along the de-facto border in these two weeks.
Srinagar airport will remain closed for civilian flights on Wednesday, said the director of the airport. Anti-aircraft firing was heard in the Valley with sirens blaring at the 15 Corps headwaters in Srinagar, said people aware of developments. 'First time heavy artillery shelling been used in Uri and Kupwara,' said an official.
Pakistani troops violated the February 2021 ceasefire agreement around 15 times between January and early April 2025. But the repeated targeting of Indian posts along the LoC, and the IB last week, has sparked the most extensive cross-border exchange since the 2021 ceasefire.
Unlike isolated, brief exchanges that were quickly resolved through established channels, the current pattern involves simultaneous salvos at multiple points and has persisted with increasing frequency after the Pahalgam terror attack.
The extensive ceasefire violations were seen as a deliberate attempt by Pakistan to escalate tensions along the LoC where it has rushed reinforcements to bolster its posture.
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