Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged a brief bout of small-arms fire in the Nowgam sector of the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara on Saturday evening (September 20, 2025). Army sources described the incident as a “brief exchange of small arms fire from both sides along the LoC, not amounting to ceasefire violations.”
Firing began at about 6:15 pm and continued intermittently for nearly an hour before subsiding, sources told India Today. No injuries have been reported, and the Army has not issued a formal public statement so far. Notably, the latest incident comes around 5 months after the deadly April 22 Pahalgam attack.
Does this mark a return to the May conflict or a new escalation?
Not necessarily. Officials and sources characterize the September 20 exchange as limited and not amounting to a ceasefire breach. It occurs against a backdrop of elevated tensions since May, when India carried out Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack.
That four-day confrontation concluded quickly with both sides returning to a ceasefire posture. The latest skirmish is the latest in a pattern of episodic clashes since the May strikes. During the Operation Sindoor phase, both sides reported damage and military activity.
India has claimed that several airbases and terror launch pads in Pakistan were hit, while there was minimal damage at home. The last formally recorded ceasefire violation between the two countries was logged on May 10, 2025, following the Operation Sindoor exchanges.
September 20 incident, by contrast, was framed by Army sources as limited and bilateral small-arms firing rather than a rekindling of full-scale hostilities.
Were there other reports of ceasefire violations this summer?
Yes. In early August, there were media reports alleging ceasefire violations in the Poonch region. The Indian Army publicly denied any unprovoked firing from across the border and urged the public to avoid spreading unverified information, stating, “There has been NO ceasefire violation along the Line of Control.”
Why India ended Operation Sindoor?
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh has defended the swift termination of Operation Sindoor. Speaking to Air Force veterans last week, he argued that once the operation’s anti-terror objectives were met, prolonging conflict would only incur disproportionate costs. “We stopped the war very quickly. Yes, they were on the back foot, no doubt, but what were our objectives? Our objective was anti-terrorism. … So if our objectives have been met, then why should we not terminate a conflict?” he asked.
Having said so, the September 20 exchange underscores a persistent volatility along the LoC as limited, localized firefights continue to occur even as both militaries publicly avoid describing such incidents as ceasefire violations. That suggests a tense but controlled environment.
Meanwhile, Indian Army’s White Knight Corps on Sunday evening said the troops came into contact with terrorists while conducting an intelligence-based operation in the general area of Kishtwar around 1 pm.
“Alert troops of #WhiteKnightCorps at around 1 pm today, while carrying out an intelligence based operation in general area of Kishtwar have established contact with terrorists. Fire exchanged with terrorists. Operation is in progress,” it posted on X.
An Army soldier was killed in action during a fierce gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on Friday night (September 19, 2025). Security forces said three to four terrorists, suspected to be from the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), were trapped in the ongoing encounter.