Pakistan defense minister Khawaja Asif has said that the country is "prepared for anything" India might try, even as reports said that Pakistan violated ceasefire for the fifth night in a row.
Ties between the two neighbouring countries have hit rock bottom after the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22 claimed the lives of 26 people, most of them tourists.
After the terror attack, India has formally notified its decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty with immediate effect, and downgraded diplomatic ties with Islamabad.
In response, Pakistan shut its airspace to Indian airliners and suspended all trade with India, including through third countries.
Against this backdrop, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir for the fifth straight night, with the Indian Army responding in a "measured and effective" manner, NDTV reported quoting officials.
The firing took place near areas opposite Kupwara and Baramulla districts, and the Akhnoor sector.
"During the night of April 28-29, the Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked small arms firing across the Line of Control in areas opposite Kupwara and Baramulla districts, as well as the Akhnoor sector. The Indian Army responded in a measured and effective manner to the provocation," the Army said in a statement.
The Pakistani soldiers have been firing at different Indian positions along the LoC since Thursday night. There have so far been no reports of any casualties, NDTV added.
Meanwhile, The Dawn quoted Pakistan defense minister Khawaja Asif as saying that the country was ready for any incursion by India.
“We have reinforced our forces because it is something which is imminent now. So in that situation some strategic decisions have to be taken, so those decisions have been taken,” Khawaja Asif told Reuters on Monday.
He said the military had briefed the government on the possibility of an Indian attack, but did not go into further details on his reasons for thinking an incursion was imminent.
The Express Tribune quoting security officials claimed that the Pakistan Army on Tuesday shot down an Indian quadcopter after it violated country's airspace along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Manawar sector of Bhimber district, even as the Times of India reported that Hashim Musa, the terrorist identified behind the Pahalgam attack, is a former para commando of the Pakistan Army's special forces.
According to the security officials quoted by The Express Tribune, the quadcopter was attempting surveillance activities when it was intercepted and brought down by Pakistani troops.
They said the timely action prevented what they described as an attempt at cross-border spying, highlighting the army’s professionalism and defensive readiness.
The officials added that the Pakistan army remains fully alert to respond swiftly to any act of aggression along the border.
Meanwhile, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Yojna Patel delivered a scathing response after Pakistan’s delegate made a mention of the Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir at the UN.
"It is unfortunate that one particular delegation has chosen to misuse and undermine this forum to indulge in propaganda and make baseless allegations against India," Patel said.
"The whole world has heard the Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif admitting and confessing Pakistan's history of supporting, training and funding terrorist organisations in a recent television interview," she said.
Patel added: "This open confession surprises no one and exposes Pakistan as a rogue state fueling global terrorism and destabilising the region. The world can no longer turn a blind eye. I have nothing further to add."
In a recent interview on Britain's Sky News, Asif said "Well, we have been doing this dirty work for the United States for about three decades, you know, and West, including Britain" to a comment that he admits that Pakistan has had a long history of backing, supporting, training and funding these terrorist organisations.
In India, after offering condolences to the victims of Pahalgam attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed 'harshest punishment' for the conspirators and justice for the kin of the dead. In a message posted on platform X, the Indian Prime Minister affirmed: "They (terrorists) will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger."
