India-Pakistan Row: Firing at the Cross-Border Following the Pahalgam Terror Attack

Heightened India-Pakistan Tensions Lead to Cross-Border Firing After Attack

Written by: Supriya Kadu

Edited by: Pinky Deshmukh

Last Updated: April 25, 2025

Summary: The Indian Army responded to the unjustified shooting by Pakistani troops across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

On April 24, 2025, just days after a devastating terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, claimed the lives of 26 civilians, Pakistani troops opened unprovoked fire across the Line of Control (LoC). The Indian Army responded promptly and effectively to the aggression. This incident signifies a sharp escalation in tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

The Pahalgam attack, which targeted tourists in the Baisaran Valley, was claimed by the militant group Kashmir Resistance. India has responded by blocking the Attari-Wagah border crossing, suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, and removing Pakistani defence officials, among other actions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to prosecute those responsible.

Pakistan, denying involvement in the Pahalgam attack, has retaliated by suspending trade with India and closing its airspace to Indian aircraft. The Pakistani government, too, announced the suspension of several bilateral agreements, including the Simla Agreement of 1972. Islamabad has threatened to declare war if the Indus Waters Treaty is broken.

Concern over the worsening situation has been voiced by the international community. Experts caution that a wider conflict may result from the dissolution of long-standing accords and the rise in armed conflicts. Both countries are on high alert, and the situation is still unstable.