Despite rising tensions, the Kashmir ceasefire holds. Occasional firing incidents have occurred, but the situation remains largely calm.

The ceasefire along the de facto Kashmir border has remained intact, despite rising tensions between Pakistan and India following a deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir last week. The violence, which occurred on April 22, resulted in the deaths of 26 people in the tourist area of Pahalgam, located in the Indian-administered Kashmir. This attack has further strained the already fragile relations between Pakistan and India, both of which claim the disputed Himalayan region in its entirety.

When an Anadolu correspondent visited the Chakothi sector near the Line of Control (LoC)—the de facto border dividing the contested region between the two nations—on Sunday, the area appeared calm, with residents showing no signs of fear or distress. Sudhair Ahmed, a local resident, reassured the reporter, saying, "There is no fear among our people. The last time Indian forces killed two of our civilians was in 2019, and since then, we have not seen any firing between the two forces."

Chakothi village and its small marketplace are situated just 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the LoC, where the Pakistan Army has set up a checkpoint, allowing only local residents access to the forward area. "Earlier, tourists were allowed to go up to the Kaman Bridge near the LoC. However, for the past four or five days, non-locals have not been allowed because of precautionary measures," explained Hussain Shah, a local shopkeeper.

Despite the tensions, life in the Chakothi area appears to be continuing as usual. However, there have been some reports of firing incidents in Leepa Valley since Friday night, although local officials have described these as “normal post-to-post firing.” According to Mazhar Saeed Shah, the information minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, also known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir, "Indian forces fired at our security checkpoint, and the Pakistan Army responded in the Leepa area along the LoC. However, no damage was reported." Shah acknowledged that while the incidents were "normal," they still represented a violation of the ceasefire agreement by Indian forces.

Pakistan and India agreed in 2021 to honor all ceasefire agreements along the LoC, following heightened tensions, particularly after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. However, Indian media outlets have recently reported that tensions have been rising at the LoC. While the Indian side has alleged that Islamabad initiated the fire, Pakistani authorities have not publicly commented on these claims.

In 2020, India’s Home Ministry reported that Pakistan had violated the ceasefire agreement 5,133 times, while Pakistan accused India of violating it more than 1,600 times in the same year. Since the 2021 ceasefire agreement, incidents of firing between the forces of the two nuclear-armed nations have become relatively rare.

Kashmir is a region contested by India and Pakistan, both of which claim it in full, while a small portion of the region is held by China. Since the partition of British India in 1947, Pakistan and India have fought three wars—1948, 1965, and 1971—two of which were fought over Kashmir. Several Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have also been involved in armed struggles against Indian rule, seeking either independence or unification with Pakistan. Human rights organizations estimate that thousands have been killed in the ongoing conflict since 1989.