Jammu, May 1: For the seventh consecutive day on Thursday, Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian positions on the Line Of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

A Defence Ministry Spokesman said, "During the night of 30 April and May 1, Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small-arms fire across the LoC opposite Kupwara, Uri and Akhnoor sectors in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. These were responded proportionately by the Indian Army."

For the last seven days, Pakistan has been resorting to unprovoked firing on the LoC and on Wednesday, Pakistan Rangers fired with small arms at the Indian posts along the International Border in Pargwal sector of Jammu district.

Tensions have mounted between the two countries after Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists sponsored and aided by Pakistan killed 26 innocent civilians, including 25 tourists and a local, on April 22 in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam.

The entire country was outraged by the cowardly act of terrorists as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his first reaction on Pahalgam killings that the terrorists, their handlers and backers would he chased and hunted down to the ends of the earth.

After a meeting with the Defence Minister, National Security Advisor, Chief of Defence Services (CDS) and the three Chiefs of Army, Navy and the Air Force, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a free hand to the defence forces to respond to Pahalgam terror attack by choosing the timing, targets and the magnitude of response to avenge the innocent killings by the terrorists in Pahalgam.

Prior to this, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had a 40-minute-long meeting with Prime Minister Modi on Monday.

The Defence Minister met the PM after he received a detailed briefing by the CDS on the preparedness of the country's armed forces to meet any eventuality.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha had a security review meeting with Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi in Srinagar a few days ago.

The L-G asked the Army to use whatever force is required to hunt down the perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Meanwhile, to send a powerful message to terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers, security forces continue demolition of the houses of terrorists.

The L-G again reviewed the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir at a high-level security meeting on Wednesday.

Last Friday, two houses belonging to Adil Hussain Thokar and Asif Sheikh were demolished in the Tral and Bijbehara areas.

Both these terrorists were part of the LeT terrorist group involved in the Pahalgam killings.

Security forces have so far demolished the houses of 10 terrorists, who are reportedly still active in the Kashmir Valley.

On Monday, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly unanimously condemned the dastardly terrorist attack and passed a resolution on this.

(IANS)

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