Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, a 26-year-old man from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was detained by the Indian Army near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. The individual, identified as Waqas, is a resident of Tarkhal village in PoK.
According to officials, Waqas was taken into custody by alert army personnel from a forward village in the Chakan-Da-Bagh area shortly after he crossed the LoC and entered Indian territory. Preliminary questioning suggests that he may have inadvertently crossed the border from his village. Authorities have stated that no incriminating material was recovered from him at the time of his arrest.
The arrest occurred against the backdrop of a diplomatic flare-up between India and Pakistan, further strained by frequent ceasefire violations. These tensions escalated following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22nd, in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.
The LoC has become a flashpoint, with accusations of daily ceasefire violations triggering retaliatory fire from both sides. The Indian Army has reported that Pakistani troops initiated unprovoked small arms fire along multiple stretches of the LoC, affecting areas from Kupwara and Baramulla in the north to Akhnoor in the Jammu region. The Indian Army says its response has been restrained but firm.
Tensions have been steadily building since India suspended talks under the Indus Treaty, a rare diplomatic channel between the two nations. What began as sporadic skirmishes in localized sectors has now expanded into widespread ceasefire violations covering nearly the entire 740-kilometer-long LoC. Military officials have noted a concerning pattern of escalation, with firing incidents previously concentrated in one or two sectors now spreading across multiple areas. The Indian Army remains on high alert, fortifying positions and closely monitoring developments along the border.
