India warns Pak against unprovoked ceasefire violations along LoC

India has warned Pakistan against its unprovoked firings along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir as the directors-general of military operations of the two armies spoke on a hotline amid escalating tensions over the Pahalgam terror attack.

Pakistan has been resorting to firings on the Indian side of the LoC since Friday night in violation of a ceasefire understanding and the Indian Army responded to them "appropriately", according to military sources.

The directors-general of military operations (DGMOs) held the conversation on Tuesday. It came as India mulls its options to respond to the 22 April terror attack which killed 26 people, and was allegedly orchestrated by a shadow group of the Pakistan-backed Islamic militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The Pakistan military has been warned against the unprovoked firings, people familiar with the DGMO talks said. The sources, however, described the exchanges over the hotline as "routine", saying it was a weekly conversation between the DGMOs that is held every Tuesday.

The Indian DGMO strongly took up the matter of ceasefire violations by the Pakistan military, the sources said.

In a significant move aimed at reducing tensions, the Indian and Pakistani armies on 25 February 2021 announced that they would cease firing across the LoC while recommitting themselves to a 2003 ceasefire agreement. The ceasefire understanding was broadly being adhered to until last week.

The sources said Pakistan military resorted to "unprovoked firings" using small arms from their posts across the LoC in Baramulla and Kupwara districts, and across the international border in the Pargwal sector on Tuesday night as well.

The Pakistan military has reportedly been put on high alert following India's assertion that it will hunt down the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam strike, while India has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels in a bid to curb the spread of provocative and misleading content online.

At a high-level meeting with the defence top brass on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the armed forces have "complete operational freedom" to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India's response to the terror attack, according to government sources.

The prime minister affirmed that it is a national resolve to deal a crushing blow to terrorism, they said.

A day after the Pahalgam attack, India on 23 April announced a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only operation land border crossing at Attari in Punjab, and downgrading of diplomatic ties in view of cross-border links to the attack.

In response, Pakistan shut its airspace to Indian airliners and suspended all trade with India, including through third-party nations. Pakistan also rejected India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and said any move to stop the flow of water would be seen as an "act of war".

With PTI inputs