Pak violated ceasefire 286 times after surgical strike: BSF

The 2003 India-Pakistan ceasefire agreement has virtually become redundant with a whopping 286 incidents of firing and shelling along the Line of Control and International Border 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 Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

There have been 186 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops along the over 190km International Border in Jammu frontier, while 104 violations of the agreement took place along the over 500km Line of Control.

“There has been 182 ceasefire violations by Pak Rangers along IB targeting civilian areas and BoPs (border outposts) in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts since the surgical strike on the intervening night September 28 and 29,” a senior Border Security Force officer said in Jammu on Sunday.

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 broder 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 have 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.