The Line of Control (LoC), a 740-kilometre military frontier between India and Pakistan in Kashmir, is once again under the global spotlight. Following the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22—which left 26 Indian civilians dead—India launched a counter-operation dubbed Operation Sindoor. What followed was a terrifying sequence of retaliatory shelling, drone strikes, and rising civilian casualties across both sides of the LoC.
The Legacy of a Dangerous Border
First delineated in 1949 and later renamed under the 1972 Simla Agreement, the LoC remains one of the most volatile and heavily militarized borders in the world. Experts call it a “border drawn in blood,” dividing two nuclear powers locked in a 75-year dispute over Kashmir.
“Each time firing resumes, people lose homes, livestock, and schools. The consequences are deep,” says Anam Zakaria, a conflict writer based in Canada.
Ceasefires That Don’t Last
Although the 2021 ceasefire agreement brought some peace, that truce has unraveled. India blames Pakistan for inciting militant attacks, while Islamabad accuses India of initiating unprovoked shelling. Reports indicate 16 civilians died on the Indian side, while Pakistan claims over 40 civilian deaths.
Prior to this, the LoC saw over 5,000 violations in 2020 alone. Thousands were displaced between 2013 and 2021 during heavy cross-border firing phases.
Geopolitical Fallout: Water and Diplomacy
India’s move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty further inflamed the situation. The treaty, signed in 1960 with World Bank assistance, is critical to water sharing between the nations. In retaliation, Pakistan has threatened to exit the Simla Agreement—though it has not acted yet.
India is also launching a diplomatic offensive with a multi-nation MP delegation tour planned for the US, UK, UAE, Qatar, and South Africa post-May 22 to secure international backing.
Border Realities: Living Under the Shadow
Villages like Salamabad and Neelum Valley are experiencing renewed trauma. “No one wants to sleep facing the LoC tonight,” one resident told BBC Urdu. Civilians are retreating into bunkers, schools remain closed, and daily life is frozen under the constant threat of conflict.
As LSE professor Sumantra Bose notes, transforming the LoC into a “soft border” was once part of India-Pakistan peace talks in 2004–2007. But in 2025, political and public sentiments on both sides make that nearly impossible.
The Road Ahead
Without diplomatic resolution or new ceasefire mechanisms, the region could face prolonged instability. The LoC remains both a military flashpoint and a humanitarian crisis zone—one that regularly slips under global scrutiny, despite its high-stakes implications.
