A Pakistani man was shot dead by Indian border forces on Friday evening after allegedly crossing the international frontier and ignoring calls to stop, according to a statement by India’s Border Security Force (BSF). The incident occurred in Gujarat state’s Banaskantha district, near the border with Pakistan’s Sindh province.
The shooting comes just two weeks after a deadly flare-up between the nuclear-armed neighbours left over 70 people dead and sparked fears of a wider conflict. A ceasefire was eventually reached after four days of missile exchanges and cross-border fire.
BSF officials said the individual was seen “advancing suspiciously towards the border fence,” which is located beyond the formal international boundary line. “He was challenged by the troops but continued to move forward. The intruder was neutralised on the spot,” the BSF said in a statement released Saturday.
India has not yet disclosed the identity of the deceased man. Pakistani officials, meanwhile, have described the BSF statement as “vague” and questioned how the individual managed to travel so deep into Indian territory without being detected earlier. “We are investigating both the identity and circumstances surrounding the killing,” a Pakistani official said on condition of anonymity.
The border areas of Gujarat and Rajasthan, which adjoin Pakistan’s Sindh province, are notorious for drug smuggling activities. Numerous Pakistani nationals have been arrested or killed in the region over the years, and authorities on both sides have seized narcotics worth millions of dollars, particularly along the Arabian Sea coast.
The latest border incident follows renewed hostilities between India and Pakistan. Tensions escalated last month when New Delhi accused Islamabad of supporting a militant group responsible for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that claimed 26 lives. India retaliated with missile strikes aimed at alleged terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan. Islamabad responded with strikes targeting Indian military positions, escalating the standoff until a ceasefire was brokered.
India has since warned that any future terrorist attack on its soil would be interpreted as an act of war. Pakistan, on the other hand, has denied involvement in the Kashmir attack and has pointed to a spike in militant violence within its borders, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, blaming India for backing insurgent groups, a claim India has firmly rejected.
As both nations continue to trade accusations, Friday’s shooting raises fresh concerns about the fragility of peace along one of the world’s most volatile borders.
