Ceasefire collapses along LoC as Pakistan retaliates; India responds, evacuates civilians near the border

Tensions along the India-Pakistan border erupted on Wednesday after India’s Operation Sindoor launched 24 missile strikes on nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). In retaliation, Pakistan engaged in indiscriminate shelling, resulting in the deaths of at least three Indian civilians, which led the government to initiate emergency evacuations along the border.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah immediately directed officials to evacuate all civilians from vulnerable zones along the LoC and the international border. Shah has been in constant contact with BSF Director General Daljit Singh Chawdhary, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to coordinate relief and security measures.

“Three innocent civilians lost their lives in indiscriminate firing/shelling. The Indian Army is responding in a proportionate manner,” said a statement issued by the Indian Army.

Following the retaliatory Pakistani fire, Indian forces reportedly inflicted heavy casualties on Pakistan Army posts in the Kupwara and Rajouri-Poonch sectors. Sources confirmed the use of intense artillery fire and noted that multiple enemy positions have been “neutralised.”

Wednesday’s escalation follows India’s largest cross-border operation in years. Operation Sindoor, a coordinated strike by the Army, Air Force and Navy, targeted camps belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, and Jaish-e-Mohammed. These included:

• Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur — the centre of JeM operations.
  
• Markaz Taiba in Muridke — LeT’s top recruitment and training hub.
  
• Gulpur, Sawai, Bilal, Kotli, Barnala, Sarjal and Mehmoona camps — all linked to past terror attacks inside India.
  

Air Force sources confirmed that all pilots involved returned safely and the operation was a success.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi monitored the mission closely and reiterated India’s resolve to hold terror masterminds accountable. “We will pursue those who harm Indians to the ends of the earth,” he stated on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned India’s action as an “act of war” and vowed a “befitting reply.” Pakistan acknowledged six strike sites and reported eight fatalities, while India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, in a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asserted that only terror infrastructure was targeted, with no civilian or military sites hit.

A press release from the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC backed Doval’s claim: “No Pakistani civilian, economic, or military targets were hit. Only known terror camps were neutralised.”

As heavy shelling continues and diplomatic tension escalates, both nations are on high alert. With India’s assertive military posture and Pakistan’s fiery rhetoric, the situation along the LoC remains volatile, raising concerns about a wider conflict.

NDTV

Three Indian civilians were killed late Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch sector as Pakistan launched indiscriminate firing and artillery shelling across the Line of Control, prompting a “proportionate response” from India. The violence followed India’s precision strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, targeting facilities run by Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. This marked the first tri-services operation since 1971, codenamed ‘Sindoor’, involving coordinated strikes by the Army, Navy, and Air Force. India claims around 70 terrorists were killed and 60 injured, crippling the groups’ capabilities. The operation targeted camps in Bahawalpur, Muridke, Gulpur, Sawai, Kotli, Sarjal, Barnala, and Mehmoona—sites linked to past attacks, including the Pahalgam massacre, where 26 civilians died. Pakistan reported nine civilian deaths in India’s retaliation. India cited intelligence and diplomatic briefings to justify the strikes, revealing the Pakistani state’s alleged role in supporting terrorism. Advanced munitions, including SCALP missiles, Hammer bombs, and drone-based loitering munitions, were used in the operation.

THE TIMES OF INDIA

Seven individuals, including a woman and two children, were killed, and 38 others injured as the Pakistan Army shelled civilian areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on May 7, 2025. The Poonch district bore the brunt with seven fatalities and 25 injuries, while the Uri sector in Baramulla reported ten injuries, and Rajouri district saw three. This escalation followed India’s launch of “Operation Sindoor,” a tri-service precision strike targeting nine terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including Jaish-e-Mohammed’s headquarters in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s base in Muridke. The operation was a response to the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that killed 26 civilians. India’s military utilised advanced weaponry and real-time intelligence, conducting the strikes entirely from Indian soil. The Indian Army has been responding proportionately to the ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces.