According to the news agency ANI, the Indian Army has informed about the unprovoked small arms firing from posts across the LoC and said, “During the night of 01-02 May 2025, Pakistan Army posts resorted to unprovoked small arms firing from posts across the Line of Control opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Naushera, and Akhnoor areas of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Indian Army troops responded in a calibrated and proportionate manner.”

The Indian Army effectively responded to the Pakistani Army’s unprovoked small arms firing across the LoC on the night of April 30 in areas opposite Kupwara district as well as in the Uri and Akhnoor sectors in J-K, officials said. This was the seventh consecutive day of India’s effective retaliation since the Pakistani Army’s unprovoked small arms firing on the night of 25 and 26, the news agency reported.

Earlier in the Jammu region, the Indian Army effectively responded to Pakistan’s small arms firing across the LoC in Naushera, Sunderbani, and Akhnoor sectors. Later, similar ceasefire violations were also recorded further north in Baramulla and Kupwara districts, and across the International Border (IB) in the Pargwal sector.

In a gruesome attack, terrorists gunned down 26 people in J-K’s Pahalgam, while injuring several others on April 22.   

India on Wednesday had shut its airspace to all aircraft registered in Pakistan and those operated by Pakistani airlines, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). Both countries have blocked each other’s airlines from using their airspace, as Pakistan announced this step around a week ago.

After the attack, India had also announced several measures against Pakistan for its ‘support of cross-border terrorism,’ including curtailing the strength of Pakistan’s High Commission, suspending the Indus Water Treaty, and closing the Integrated Check Post at Attari. 

(with ANI inputs)

Speaking to ANI, Arun Pal, a protocol officer at the Attari Border, stated that 850 Indian Nationals have returned to India in the past three days. He added that on Sunday alone, 237 Pakistani nationals returned to their country, while 116 Indian nationals came back.

“Custom immigration counters opened at 10 am. Before the counters closed, 237 Pakistani Nationals returned to Pakistan from India, and 116 Indian Nationals returned from Pakistan. From April 24, 537 Pakistani Nationals have returned to Pakistan, and 850 Indian Nationals have returned to India. As per the latest information, Pakistani passport holders have until 29 April to cross the border. The same applies to Indian passport holders,” Pal said.

The Indian government on Friday revoked all categories of visas issued to Pakistani citizens, except long-term, diplomatic, and official visas, with immediate effect from April 27.

The Union government’s decision to suspend visa services for Pakistani nationals followed the Pahalgam terror attack.

The terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on tourists killed 26 people, mostly tourists, including one Nepalese national, who were brutally gunned down. The incident happened around 2 pm at Baisaran meadow, near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the region since the 2019 Pulwama strike, which claimed the lives of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans.

Following the incident, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) teams, stationed at the Pahalgam terror attack site since April 23, have intensified the search for evidence. The teams, led by an IG, DIG, and SP from the anti-terror agency, are questioning eyewitnesses who observed the April 22 attack.

Additionally, the Indian Army is on high alert, launching several search operations to neutralise the terrorists following the attack in Pahalgam. The incident has sparked nationwide outrage, with widespread protests erupting across the country, demanding stricter action against Pakistan over the Pahalgam attack.

According to sources, these individuals, aged between 20 to 40 years, are actively aiding foreign terrorists from Pakistan by providing logistical and ground-level support.

The identified operatives are reportedly affiliated with three major Pakistan-backed terror outfits: Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Among them, three are associated with Hizbul Mujahideen, eight with LeT, and three with JeM.

Sources revealed the names of these individuals as: Adil Rehman Dentoo (21), Asif Ahmed Sheikh (28), Ahsan Ahmed Sheikh (23), Haris Nazir (20), Aamir Nazir Wani (20), Yawar Ahmed Bhat, Asif Ahmed Khanday (24), Naseer Ahmed Wani (21), Shahid Ahmed Kutay (27), Aamir Ahmed Dar, Adnan Safi Dar, Zubair Ahmed Wani (39), Haroon Rashid Ganai (32), and Zakir Ahmed Ganie (29).

Dentoo joined LeT in 2021 and is actively working as the Sopore district commander of the banned outfit. Asif Ahmed Sheikh, a terrorist of JeM, is the district commander of Awantipora and has been continuously involved in terrorist activities since 2022. Ahsan Ahmed Sheikh is active in Pulwama as a LeT terrorist and has been involved in terrorist activities continuously since 2023. Haris Nazir is a terrorist from Pulwama and active in LeT since 2023, while Aamir Nazir Wani is also an active terrorist in Pulwama linked to JeM since 2024. Yawar Ahmed Bhat is also completely active in Pulwama and is associated with JeM since 2024.

Asif Ahmed Khanday is a terrorist from Shopian district in Jammu and Kashmir, and he joined Hizbul Mujahideen in July 2015, and is currently an active member of the terror group aiding Pakistani terrorists. Naseer Ahmed Wani has also been actively involved in terrorist activities in Shopian since 2019 as an active member of LeT, significantly aiding Pakistani terrorists. Shahid Ahmed Kutay, another active terrorist in Shopian, is linked with LeT and its proxy group, The Resistance Front (TRF), since 2023.

Aamir Ahmed Dar, also active in Shopian since 2023, is working with LeT and plays a major role as an aide to foreign terrorists. Adnan Safi Dar, who is another active terrorist from Shopian district, has been working jointly for LeT and TRF since 2024, and acts as a conduit for information from Pakistani handlers to terrorists.

Zubair Ahmed Wani alias Abu Ubaida alias Usman is the Chief Operational Commander of Hizbul Mujahideen in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. He is categorized as an A+ active terrorist and significantly aids other terrorists and has been implicated multiple times in attacks on security forces since 2018.

Haroon Rashid Ganai, an active Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist also from Anantnag, is on the search radar of security forces. He had earlier traveled to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) where he received training in 2018. He reportedly came back to South Kashmir recently. However, Zubair Ahmed Gani, a major terrorist from Kulgam district in Jammu and Kashmir, is associated with LeT and continuously involved in attacks on security forces and targeted killings.

The identification of these local terror aides comes as agencies intensify efforts to dismantle the support networks facilitating cross-border terrorism. The April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 tourists were gunned down by terrorists, including three belonged to Pakistan, has reignited concerns over the growing nexus between foreign terrorists and local recruits.

Security forces have launched coordinated operations across South Kashmir, particularly in Anantnag and Pulwama districts, where many of the listed individuals are believed to be operating. Senior officials indicate that these names are part of a larger intelligence dossier being used to pre-empt further attacks and disrupt terror logistics in the Valley.

The agencies are engaged in finding links between these 14 terrorists with the five terrorists who attacked the 26 tourists in the Baisaran picturesque meadow, near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam, around 2 PM on April 22.

The release of the list of these 14 local active terrorists is a move followed by investigators who identified five terrorists involved in the deadly attack, including three Pakistani nationals. The authorities had earlier also released three sketches of these Pakistani terrorists–Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah, and Abu Talha. The other two Valley-based operatives were identified as Adil Guri and Ahsan. A bounty of Rs 20 lakh on each has also been announced.

The NIA, along with other agencies, is currently assisting to Jammu and Kashmir Police in the overall investigation as Pakistan-based terror outfit LeT’s proxy TRF has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The NIA team is expected to conduct a thorough assessment of the attack site, collect forensic evidence, and help in identifying those responsible for the carnage.

Addressing the media here at the end of his daylong visit to the Kashmir Valley in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, Gandhi said, “It has been a terrible tragedy, and I came here to get a sense of what is happening and to help.”

“I met one of the injured because the rest of the injured have gone back home. I assure the families who have lost their dear ones that the entire nation stands as one with them,” he said.

Noting that the “entire J&K has condemned this terrible action and they have fully supported the nation this time”, he said: “The idea of the attack was to divide the society and make brother fight brother. It is very important that every individual and the entire nation stands as one so that we can defeat what the terrorists want to do.”

Terming it “sad to see that some people are attacking my brothers and sisters from Kashmir in the rest of the country”, Gandhi said that it is important that all of us stand together to defeat terrorism.

“We had a (all-party) meeting yesterday (on Thursday) and the united opposition has assured the government that we support whatever action the government wants to take. I met the Chief Minister and the LG. They briefed me about the situation. I assured them that my party and I support the government in whatever action they take to end terrorism once and for all,” the Congress leader asserted.

Earlier on Friday, Gandhi visited the Army’s Base Hospital in Badamibagh Cantonment area of Srinagar, where he met one of the injured tourists.

A total of 26 civilians were killed, and around two dozen people were injured in that cowardly terror attack that took place in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam.

As per Congress leaders, Rahul Gandhi met various delegations, including those from the party and trade and tourism sectors. He also met Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

“Rahul Gandhi has come with a message of ‘healing the wounds’ of the people of the country, including Kashmiris, in the wake of the attack and its aftermath,” a Congress leader said.

On his arrival, Gandhi was received by J&K Congress President, Tariq Hameed Karra and senior leader G.A. Mir at the airport.

Gandhi attended an all-party meeting on Thursday called by the Centre to brief parties on the horrific terror attack, and extended his full support to the government’s action.

He had cut short his visit to the US to attend the crucial meeting of the Congress Working Committee scheduled on Thursday.

At the all-party meeting held in New Delhi on Thursday, the Congress offered complete support to the government to avenge the killings of innocent civilians in Pahalgam by the terrorists.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first reaction to the Pahalgam terror attack, said in Bihar on Thursday that the terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam attack, their handlers and backers would get such punishment they would not even have imagined.

“The time has come to destroy the shrinking space of these terrorists and their backers. We will chase them to the ends of the earth”, the PM said.