Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir woke up to a calm and sunny Sunday morning (May 11) after days of heightened tensions marked by drone incursions and artillery shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) which left more than dozen civilians dead.

According to reports and officials, the situation remained peaceful in the Union territory during the intervening night of May 10 and 11 and there were no incidents of firing or incursions by drones or projectiles from across the LoC and IB.

Within two hours after the US president Donald Trump announced that India and Pakistan had agreed “full and immediate ceasefire,” on Saturday (May 10) drones were sighted near some army installations and vital infrastructure in the Union territory which were shot down by the anti-drone systems without causing any damage.

According to reports, drones were sighted in the capital Srinagar near the Army’s 15 Corps headquarters, Anantnag high ground which also hosts an army base, the garrison towns of Baramulla and Udhampur, Jammu, Bandipora in north Kashmir and Reasi, which is home to the world’s highest railway bridge.

Air raid sirens also went off in some parts of the Union territory following the drone incursions that led to the deepening of the anxieties among the residents in the affected areas.

Officials said that the air defence was activated following the incursions and drones were intercepted by the anti-drone system and brought down, resulting in massive explosions that spread panic among the residents in these areas as rumours flew thick and fast that the US-brokered ceasefire was not going to hold up.

“What the hell just happened to the ceasefire? Explosions heard across Srinagar!!! This is no ceasefire. The air defence units in the middle of Srinagar just opened up,” J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah said on X.

Calm since night, no fresh firing or drone incursions

However, an eerie calm returned to the Union territory after 10:30 pm on Saturday and there were no reports of any fresh firing or drone incursions till Sunday morning.

“There was complete calm and we slept peacefully through the night after being terrorised by the sounds of artillery and firing over the last few days. I hope it continues like this so that people can return to their normal lives,” Murtaza Ali, a resident of Poonch, said over phone on Sunday morning.

Poonch district, which falls along the Line of Control, was the worst hit in artillery shelling after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ which resulted in the death of at least 12 civilians during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday (May 6-7). The dead included four children.

Muneer Hussain, a resident of Kamalkote in Uri, told The Wire over phone that the border town and its adjoining areas witnessed calm in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

“These past few days were like doomsdays. Even during the 1999 (Indo-Pak) war, we didn’t see so much shelling. I am hopeful peace will prevail,” Hussain, a retired army man said.

However, even though the ceasefire seems to have come into effect, Jammu continues to remain tense after suspected militants, whose number was not immediately known, opened fire at the army’s 16 Corps headquarters in Nagrota area in which a soldier was injured.

Initial reports had suggested that the Nagrota base was targeted by suicide attackers. However, the army denied the reports.

“On noticing suspicious movement near the perimeter, alert sentry at #Nagrota Military Station issued a challenge, leading to a brief exchange of fire with the suspect. Sentry sustained a minor injury. Search operations are underway to track the intruder(s),” the White Knight Corps said on X.

Even as security forces have launched massive searches, the news of the attack fanned rumours in the winter capital about the imminence of more attacks, prompting the J&K police to issue an advisory seeking public help in nabbing the perpetrators.

Also Read: 'Never Seen Such Scenes Before': Poonch Residents Live Through Horror of Shelling by Pakistan

There are also unconfirmed reports that several suspected militants have managed to cross the International Border along the R S Pura in Jammu taking advantage of the US-brokered ceasefire.

“Some news items/audios being circulated by few WhatsApp groups regarding presence of terrorists in the R S Pura area, are unconfirmed and not verified from ground formations/reports/checking. People are advised to report regarding all the suspicious persons/suspicious movements to the police for proper verification/action,” the police advisory noted.

It added: “Uploading and forwarding such unverified messages on social media creates  panic among the general public. Any such deliberate attempt to create panic among general public through such routine ,unverified reports may attract legal action. Cooperate with police for maintaining peace and normalcy in the region”.

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