More than 3,180 ceasefire violations took place at LoC so far this yr: Govt

With more than 3,180 ceasefire violations at the Line of Control (LoC) in the first eight months of this year, Pakistan has made it clear it will keep trying to foment trouble in Jammu & Kashmir.

The ceasefire violations may further increase with about 45 days to go before the snowfall starts blocking the mountain passes. The ISI-backed terrorists may go all out during this period to sneak inside the Indian territory.

The next few weeks could see the Pakistan Army providing covering fire to the terrorists to infiltrate into Kashmir. There are about 250 to 300 terrorists now operating in the hinterland.

Moreover, about 200 Pakistan-sponsored terrorists are now poised to infiltrate from more than 25 launch pads located close to the LoC.

Informing the Rajya Sabha here on Monday, Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik said there were 3,186 incidents of ceasefire violations in the Jammu region this year (from January 1 to September 7, 2020). In addition, 242 incidents of cross-border firing took place along India-Pakistan International Border in Jammu region in this year (January 1 to August 31, 2020).

The ceasefire violation figure for the entire last year was 3,289, including firing at the LoC and International Border.

The Minister informed that eight jawans were killed and two injured in Jammu & Kashmir this year so far. In addition, there have been five casualties of the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel occurred along International Border and the LoC.

Elaborating upon the emerging threat, sources said terrorists were trying to come in after digging tunnels in the Jammu region. It is feared arms and ammunition in some instances were also smuggled through these tunnels. The investigating agencies fear that the tunnel routes were used to bring in explosives used for the Pulwama attack killing 40 CRPF men. Pakistan was also using drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to drop weapons inside Indian territory in the Jammu region, they said.

Naik also assured the House through a written reply that appropriate retaliation to the ceasefire violations, as required, was carried out by the Army and the BSF. In addition, all the cases of ceasefire violations are taken up with Pakistan authorities through the established mechanisms of hotlines, flag meetings, Directorate General of Military Operations (DGMO) talks as well as diplomatic channels between the two countries.