Srinagar, May 11: The 11 and 12 May night across Jammu and Kashmir, including the sensitive border areas along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB), passed peacefully with no reports of fresh shelling or firing incidents, bringing much-needed relief after days of intense hostilities, officials said on Monday morning.
Defence sources told news agency JKNS, “night remained largely peaceful in Jammu and Kashmir and other areas along the international border.”
“No incident has been reported, marking the first calm night in recent days,” they said.
Calm comes a day after both India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire, following two weeks marked by intense military exchanges and civilian displacement. The ceasefire was announced after backchannel and military-level communication, reportedly initiated by Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations and accepted by Indian authorities late on May 10.
Earlier, due to heavy cross border shelling Poonch remained the worst hit district where casualties and damage are heavy, 16 people were martyred including 12-year-old 2 siblings. While 5 people were martyred on another day including ADDC Ramban Raj Kumar Thappa.
Heavy cross-border shelling had forced hundreds of families in border villages, like the Uri sector of Baramulla, Samba, Jammu, Udhampur, to flee their homes. Several religious and community-run institutions, including Darul Uloom Sheeri, stepped in to provide temporary shelter, food, and care to the affected people.
The tensions had escalated sharply following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 civilians were killed. India had blamed Pakistan-based terror groups for the strike and launched “Operation Sindoor” targeting terror infrastructure across the border.
According to Indian military officials, over 100 terrorists were killed and several terror camps were destroyed in retaliatory strikes.
Following the strikes, reports emerged of increased drone activity from across the border and also in main cities like Srinagar and Awantipora which were intercepted by Indian security forces. Field commanders were given free hand to respond to any fresh provocations even after the ceasefire came into effect.
Defence sources told JKNS that ground forces remain on high alert, but Monday night’s calm has been seen as a positive sign. “No fresh incidents of ceasefire violation have been reported from any sector. The situation remains under close observation,” a senior defence official said. (JKNS)
