Army jawans carry the coffin of Havaldar Satnam Singh who had attained martyrdom on November 9, 2016 in Machil Sector of Kupwara, North Kashmir.
Since surgical strikes by Army on September 29, 13 security personnel have lost their lives
Gunner Harsit Bhadouria, who was injured in cross-border firing in the Keran sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, has succumbed to his injuries. He is the sixth Army personnel to be killed in firing this month which shows the increasing intensity of ceasefire violations between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Boundary (IB).
Army sources said that there have been over 130 instances of ceasefire violations on the
LoC and according to BSF sources, over 180 violations occurred on the IB since the surgical strikes on September 29.
Since the surgical strikes,
13 security personnel have lost their lives. They include 10 Army soldiers along the LoC and three jawans of the Border Security Force (BSF) which guards the IB. Due to mortar shelling on civilian areas
there were at least 15 civilian deaths so far, including three children, since the Uri terror attack on September 18 which claimed the lives of 19 soldiers.
Hinterland quiet
Army sources say that while the hinterland, which was rocked by protests and violence, has been relatively quiet, the border has become very active. The number of incidents and weapons used is reminiscent of the violence in 2014 and of 2002 when the border was active.
More than half the casualties this year on the Army’s side were after the surgical strikes. One officer observed that casualties do happen at this level of escalation and as heavier weapons are used. However, the concern has been that the losses are disproportionate. The Army says they are now inflicting “heavy casualties” on the Pakistani Army and their posts.
The real impact
“We are losing our men, but they are losing only terrorists. The real impact is not on the Pakistani Army. This is now changing,” one officer posted along the LoC said.
The bigger worry is there is no sign of reduction in the hostilities which is likely to push up casualties. “Pakistan shows no sign of reducing the firing. We will respond accordingly,” the officer added.
In 2003, a ceasefire came into force following which the guns largely fell quiet barring few occasional incidents. Since the surgical strikes, both sides have resorted to firing small arms and heavy mortars like 82mm and 120mm. However, both sides have so far not acknowledged using artillery though its use is suspected.
Pakistan’s claim
In a related development, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) of Pakistan claimed in a statement last week that India had for the first time used artillery in the “current phase of escalation.”
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http://www.thehindu.com/news/286-ceasefire-violations-by-pak-post-surgical-strike/article9340925.ece
The 2003 India-Pakistan ceasefire agreement has virtually become redundant with a whopping 286 incidents of firing and shelling along LoC and IB in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistani troops that resulted in death of 26 people, including 14 security personnel, since the surgical strike on terrorist launch pads in Azad Kashmir.
There have been 186 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops along the over 190km International Border (IB) in Jammu frontier, while 104 violations of the agreement took place along the over 500km Line of Control (LoC).
“There has been 182 ceasefire violation by Pak Rangers along IB targeting civilian areas and BoPs in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts since the surgical strike on the intervening night September 28 and 29,” a senior BSF officer told PTI here today.
They also resorted to firing of 120 mortar bombs and from automatic weapons very heavily in which civilians and security personnel were killed and a large number of people including women and children suffered injuries, he said, adding that a large number of cattle perished in the shelling and huge damage was caused to houses.
A large population was forced out of their homes, harvesting of paddy crops halted and marriage season was badly affected in the border areas due to heavy shelling and firing.
The officer said
there have been 85 ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC in Jammu region falling under 16 Corps area and 19 ceasefire violations have been recorded along the LoC in Kashmir region falling under 15 Corps area.
India and Pakistan entered into no-firing agreement along Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir in 2003.
On November 25, 2003, the Director Generals of Military Operations of India and Pakistan agreed to observe a ceasefire along the International Border, Line of Control and Actual Ground Position Line in Jammu and Kashmir.
The worst-ever Pakistani shelling targeting civil population took place
on November 1 when eight persons, including two children and four women, were killed and 22 others injured along the IB and the LoC in five sectors of J&K, forcing Indian troops to give befitting reply by destroying 14 Pakistani posts and killing two of their troopers.
A total of 26 people, including 12 civilians, were killed and more than 85 suffered injuries in Pakistani shelling and firing along IB and LoC in Jammu.
The state government had closed over 400 schools along the border in Jammu region in the wake of the ongoing heavy cross-border firing.
On a visit to the state in the first week of November, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had asked the army personnel posted along the Line of Control to remain alert and give a befitting response to any “misadventure” from across the border.
“While complimenting their valour and fortitude, which Parrikar said was the entire nation’s pride, he also impressed upon the soldiers to remain in a very high state of alert to give a befitting response to any misadventure from across,” an army officer said.
There has been 583 ceasefire violations in 2014 and 405 in 2015.
In 2014 and 2015, there were 153 and 152 such violations respectively on the LoC managed by the Army.
The ceasefire violations on the International Border under the control of Border Security Force in 2014 and 2015 were 430 and 253 respectively.
