Key points

  • Four civilians were killed in Poonch district, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, after an Indian‑origin landmine drifted across the Line of Control and detonated.
  • The explosion took place in the early hours of Tuesday, catching residents off‑guard.
  • Both Pakistani and Indian authorities have opened inquiries to determine how the device crossed the ceasefire line.
  • The Directorate General of Military Operations has advised communities living near the LoC to stay alert and report any suspicious objects; relief assistance is being provided to the victims’ families.

The blast occurred near the village of Jari in Poonch, a region that borders the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. According to local officials, the unexploded ordnance is believed to have been carried by the nearby river system, which periodically overflows and can transport debris across the disputed boundary. When the device surfaced, it exploded, killing four men who were returning from a night‑shift at a nearby farm.

Pakistani military commanders condemned the incident and called for a thorough joint investigation with their Indian counterparts. The Directorate General of Military Operations (DGMO) issued an advisory urging residents of the LoC corridor to remain vigilant, avoid approaching unfamiliar objects, and promptly inform security forces. Emergency medical teams were dispatched, and the families of the deceased have been registered for financial and psychological assistance by the AJK government.

The incident adds to a series of cross‑border mishaps that have heightened sensitivities along the 740‑kilometre LoC. While the 2003 ceasefire agreement obliges both sides to refrain from hostile actions, the accidental transfer of landmines via waterways has emerged as a recurring security concern for border communities. Local farmers, who already contend with restricted access to fields and disrupted trade routes, now face renewed fears of unexploded ordnance contaminating agricultural lands and water sources.

Both Islamabad and New Delhi have pledged to cooperate in tracing the mine’s origin and preventing similar occurrences in the future. Meanwhile, the tragedy underscores the fragile security environment of the region, where civilian lives continue to be caught in the crossfire of a decades‑long dispute.