The Army has given an “adequate response” to the violations of the ceasefire, the government has said (Archive)
Srinagar:
There have been 3,186 violations of the ceasefire by Pakistan along the LoC (Line of Control) in Jammu over the past eight months (January 1 to September 7), the government told parliament this week.
This is the highest number in a year for 17 years, since then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee negotiated the 2003 Ceasefire Agreement.
In addition, there were also 242 cross-border shooting incidents (Jan 1 to Aug 31), in the Jammu region, along the international border with Pakistan, said Shripad Naik, Minister of State for Defense, at the Rajya Sabha .
The Indian army carried out “appropriate retaliation,” the minister further said, adding that all violations had been brought to the Pakistani authorities through established channels and protocols.
Eight members of the Army were killed for their country during this year’s ceasefire violations and two others were injured. Large numbers of innocent civilians, men, women and children were also killed, and several houses and buildings were destroyed.
On Friday night, a woman living near the LoC was injured after Pakistan resorted to heavy gunfire. Previously, there was a heavy exchange of fire, including the use of mortar, from the Gurez sector in northern Kashmir.
The number of ceasefire violations this year has marginally slowed in the face of a global Covid pandemic, which has affected more than three lakh people in Pakistan and more than 53 lakh in India.
As of June this year there were 2,432 ceasefire violations, sources told NDTV, who described the unprovoked attacks as “a violation of the 2003 ceasefire agreement.”
Hostilities between the two countries have also escalated following the government’s decision in August last year to withdraw special privileges from Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the former state into two union territories.
Throughout 2019, there were only around 2,000 ceasefire violations.
Pakistan’s violations also come at a time when there is tension along the Line of Royal Control (LAC) with China.
A violent clash with the Chinese led 20 soldiers to lay down their lives for India in the Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh on June 15. More than 40 Chinese soldiers, including high-ranking personnel, were killed or injured, the sources told NDTV.
So far, multiple talks at the military, diplomatic and ministerial levels have failed to resolve the problem. The foreign ministers met in Moscow and drew up a five-point plan to ease the tension.
With input from PTI
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