After a night of relative calm in Jammu and Poonch, India accuses Pakistan of violating the fresh DGMO agreement; Amritsar issues red alert urging residents to stay indoors.
Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir), May 11:
Tensions between India and Pakistan continued to simmer on Sunday, a day after intense shelling rocked Jammu and nearby border areas. Despite a night of relative calm with no drone activity, firing, or shelling reported in Jammu or Poonch, the atmosphere remains tense and watchful.
Officials in Amritsar issued a red alert early Sunday morning, asking residents to stay indoors and remain away from windows amid fears of further cross-border escalation.
“We have restored power supply for your convenience, but we are still on red alert. Sirens will sound now, indicating this red alert. Please don’t move out of your house; stay indoors and away from windows,” the Amritsar District Collector stated in a public advisory. A prior alert issued at 4:39 a.m. also directed people to turn off lights and avoid balconies, roads, and terraces.
The advisory follows India’s strong diplomatic reaction on Saturday evening, after it accused Pakistan of violating a mutual agreement between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries to halt military action.
At a special press briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri emphasized that Pakistan’s continued provocations constituted a “serious breach” of the ceasefire understanding, which was reached earlier that same day.
“For the last few hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding arrived at earlier this evening between the DGMOs of India and Pakistan. The armed forces are giving an adequate and appropriate response to these violations, and we take very, very serious note of them,” said Misri.
India has warned that its armed forces have been instructed to respond firmly to any further provocations or border violations along both the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border.
“The armed forces are maintaining a strong vigil. We call upon Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address these violations and to deal with the situation with the seriousness and responsibility it demands,” Misri added.
The fragile ceasefire agreement, which initially raised hopes of de-escalation, now hangs in the balance as military preparedness and civilian caution increase across the region.