Revision as of 08:06, 1 March 2019

2012-15, Number of cross-border firings and ceasefire violations, Civilian and security personnel killed; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, December 9, 2015

Ceasefire violations, 2009-12; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India

A brief history

The Times of India

December 18, 2014

Ceasefire violations

The first comprehensive ceasefire between India and Pakistan covering the international border, LoC and the Siachen Glacier was enforced on the midnight of November 25, 2003. The ceasefire was established to enable armies from both sides to perform administrative tasks along the borders.Data shows that there has been a steady increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistan in recent years.In 2011, there were 51 and 11 incidents of ceasefire violations at the border patrolled by the Army and BSF respectively. In comparison, the first 11 months of 2014 witnessed 655 ceasefire violations, 150 in areas under the Army's jurisdiction and 405 in the BSF-controlled region.Source: PIB

Border residents

Protection, 2016-18

How India protected its border residents, 2016-18'
Where India has built protective bunkers
From: February 28, 2019: The Times of India

How India protected its border residents, 2016-18;
Ceasefire violations by Pakistan;
How civilians were affected by the 2016 surgical strike
From: February 28, 2019: The Times of India

See graphics:

How India protected its border residents, 2016-18;
Where India has built protective bunkers

How India protected its border residents, 2016-18;
Ceasefire violations by Pakistan;
How civilians were affected by the 2016 surgical strike

Violations: Jan-Nov 2014 versus 2013

Pak's truce violations up 57% over '13

The Times of India

Bharti Jain, Dec 04 2014

There were 545 ceasefire violations on the country's borders until November 25, marking a 57% increase over the 347 violations reported in the whole of 2013. Interestingly , the bulk of the ceasefire violations (395) this year were reported from the international border under operational control of the BSF , while the LoC and IB areas under the Army's control accounted for only 27.5% of the cases.

As per data presented in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday , the 395 violations reported from IB areas under BSF were nearly 167% more than the 148 incidents witnessed in 2013. However, the situation was reversed in LoCIB areas, with violations falling from 199 in 2013 to 150 until November 25 this year.

Though the number of security personnel martyred on account of the violations fell to five from 12 in 2013, the civilian toll rose from nil to 13.

Cease fire violations: 2013-June 2015

The Times of India, Jul 31 2015

Since 2013, Pak violated truce 1,140 times: Parrikar

`International Border Focus Of Firing'

Pakistan has violated the ceasefire as many as 1,140 times since 2013, with the focus of its firing being concentrated more across the settled International Boundary (IB) than the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha, said while there were 347 ceasefire violations in 2013, the figure jumped to 583 in 2014.Till June 30 this year, 199 such violations have been recorded. Of the 199, only around 25 of them were across the LoC, which is manned by the Army , with the rest being along the BSFguarded IB. “Diplomatically , India has repeatedly emphasised the need for Pakistan to uphold the sanctity of the LoC and abide by the ceasefire commitment of 2003,“ said Parrikar.

After the NSA-level talks next month, the two countries are also slated to hold meetings between the BSF and Pakistan Rangers chiefs as well as the two DGMOs to discuss de-escalatory mechanisms along the borders.

Bomb hoax keeps Gurdaspur on edge

Three days after terrorists struck in Dinanagar, unidentified miscreants left a black bag with a box inside that looked like a bomb near the Gurdaspur bus stand, triggering panic in the area.Police officials said the box resembled a bomb but had no detonating device. A Punjab Armed Police bomb disposal squad, which was called in from Jalandhar, later dismantled the device.“The bag contained some wooden pieces, paper pieces and powder,“ said senior superintendent of police Gurpreet Singh Toor.

Cease fire violations: 2014-17

Rajat Pandit, February 6, 2018: The Times of India

Ceasefire violations along Jammu & Kashmir’s LoC and International border, 2014-17
From: Rajat Pandit, February 6, 2018: The Times of India

In the absence of any diplomatic détente, the deadly war of attrition between India and Pakistan along the 778-km Line of Control (LoC) and 198-km International Boundary (IB) in Jammu & Kashmir has taken a sharp turn for the worse ever since the “surgical strikes” of September, 2016.

There were as many as 860 ceasefire violations (CFVs) along the LoC and another 120 along the IB in 2017, the highest-ever such tally in over 15 years. The number of CFVs has already touched 241 across the LoC in the first 36 days of 2017, claiming the lives of nine Indian soldiers, as per Army statistics.

Army chief General Bipin Rawat says the Pak Army is “suffering three to four times the number of casualties compared to us” in the CFVs. Given the current mood, these long and bloody tit-for-tat fire assaults across the border, with even light artillery guns, heavy mortars and anti-tank guided missiles often coming into play from both the sides, are not going to ebb anytime soon.

A day after a young captain and three soldiers were killed in heavy shelling by Pakistani forces in Rajouri district, Army vice-chief Lt-General Sarath Chand on Monday warned of strong retaliatory action to avenge the losses. “That (retaliation) goes without saying. I think I don’t have to say that. (Our) action will speak for itself,” he said.

Added another senior officer, “Pakistan is hurt more than us…that’s why the Pak Army refuses to give its casualty figures to its own Parliament. We estimate 130-140 Pak soldiers were killed in our cross-border firings and tactical operations last year.”

But Indian soldiers have also paid a heavy price. Of the 62 who laid down their lives in J&K last year, 15 were killed in CFVs, 17 in infiltration and other incidents along the LoC and 30 in counter-terrorism operations in the hinterland.

“I don’t think the situation will get better in the short term. The atmosphere has been completely vitiated by the Pak Army strategy to send terrorists across to carry out IED blasts, mutilate our soldiers and attack garrisons. It leaves no space for any confidence-building like a ceasefire agreement,” said former Northern Army Command chief, Lt-Gen D S Hooda (retd), who oversaw the “surgical strikes” on September 29, 2016.

Indian Para-Special Forces had conducted the “surgical strikes” against terror launch pads, close to Pak Army posts, in four different locations in PoK to avenge the killing of 19 Indian soldiers in a suicide attack at the Army camp in Uri earlier that month.

That, in effect, triggered the sharp escalatory spiral, with Pakistan indulging in 78 and 88 CFVs in October and November 2016. India also began to “pro-actively dominate” the LoC with “pre-emptive and punitive fire assaults” on Pak Army posts aiding infiltration, which became all the more fiercer after two of its soldiers were beheaded in a BAT (border action team) operation in Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch on May 1 last year.

The Pak Army was obviously not about to roll over and play dead. It responded in full measure, sometimes deliberately targeting civilian centres in the Jammu region.

2015

The Times of India, Aug 12 2015

Number of ceasefire violations, year-wise: 2012-15; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, Aug 12 2015

Cease-fire violations along Line of Control and along International Border: 2015-16; Graphic courtesy: The Hindu, November 23, 2016

192 ceasefire violations along border in J&K this year: Govt  There have been 192 ceasefire violations along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir this year until July 26, resulting in the death of three civilians and one BSF personnel. As many as 50 houses were damaged in the border firing from Pakistan, which temporarily affected 7,110 persons. Minister of state for home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary , in a written reply in Lok Sabha, said the ceasefire violations in 2014 were the highest in the last four years. In the 430 ceasefire violations reported last year, 12 civilians and two BSF personnel were killed. As many as 86 civilians and 15 border personnel were injured. The heavy shelling from across Pakistan damaged 140 houses, affecting over 2 lakh people on a temporary basis.

While the ceasefire violations in 2013 were 148, the figure was just 21 in 2012.

Chaudhary said infiltrators sometimes used the cover of cross-border firing to sneak in from across Pakistan. Listing the measures taken to check ceasefire violations and ensure the safety of civilians living in border areas, the minister said proper defence preparedness includ ng strengthening of nakas, ield fortifications and highmast lights were ensured at the border. Immediate and ef ective retaliation by BSF personnel was carried out to unprovoked firing.

Mechanisms have been instituted at border outposts and border areas to expedi tiously inform villages of any occurrence of cross-border firing. BSF regularly talks to people living in villages close to the border, advising them not to move in the vicinity of areas prone to unprovoked fire without its prior information permission.

Truce breach in Rajouri, Poonch

In twin ceasefire violations, Pakistani troops on Tuesday resorted to small arms firing on forward posts along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts, drawing retaliation from the Army.

“Pakistan Army had resorted to unprovoked firing across the Line of Control in Krishna Ghati Sector of Poonch district since 0100 hours,“ a defence Spokesman said. “Troops on our side of Line of Control retaliated. No casualty or damage reported,“ the spokesman added. PTI

Pakistani transgressions; July- Aug 2015

Pakistani transgressions: July- Aug 2015; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, August 20, 2015

See graphic

2015-16, number of ceasefires by Pakistan

Pakistan violated ceasefire daily in 2015, 2016: MHA , May 7, 2017: The Times of India

HIGHLIGHTS

MHA said that 1,142 terror incidents were reported in J&K between 2012 and 2016 in which 236 security personnel and 90 civilians were killed.

In the same period, 507 terrorists were killed in encounters, the ministry said.

At least one incident of ceasefire violation by Pakistan has been reported daily along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir in 2015 and 2016, with 23 security personnel being killed in the two years, the home ministry has said in an RTI reply.

It also said that 1,142 terror incidents were reported in J&K between 2012 and 2016 in which 236 security personnel and 90 civilians were killed.

In the same period, 507 terrorists were killed in encounters, the ministry said.

According to the reply, Pakistan violated the ceasefire across the Line of Control 449 times in 2016, as compared to 405 violations in 2015. Twenty-three security personnel were killed in the two-year period, it said. Major Gen (retd) G D Bakshi said Pakistan is running a "covert" war against India.

"Though Pakistan talks about peace, it does not believe in it, and Jammu and Kashmir is an example," he said.

Compared to 220 terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir in 2012, there were 322 incidents in 2016 in which 82 security personnel and 15 civilians were killed, the RTI reply said.

It said in 2015, 39 security personnel and 17 civilians were killed in 208 terror incidents while 108 terrorists were killed in encounters. While 47 security personnel and 28 civilians were killed in the state, 110 terrorists were killed in encounters in 2014, the reply said.

The RTI reply said in 2012, 15 security personnel and as many civilians were killed in 220 terror incidents, and 72 terrorists were killed in encounters. In 2013, 53 security personnel and 15 civilians were killed in 170 terror incidents in J&K with security forces killing 67 terrorists in encounters.

"There is a new trend these days. Whenever the army surrounds militants in an area, messages are sent on social media platforms and residents from nearby places gather there, slowing down operations," Bakshi said.

2016

Jan- Oct 2016, esp. after surgical strikes

Neeraj Chauhan, Over 300 Pak firings since Sept-end, Nov 04 2016 : The Times of India

`To Seek Revenge For Surgical Strikes, It's Even Targeting Civilians'

Government officials said in Nov 2016 that Pakistani forces were deliberately targeting civilians in border areas as Islamabad was desperate for a “face-saving“ exercise following the September 29 surgical strikes by Indian troops on terror launch pads.

Officials said that Pakistan had directed its forces to target BSF, the Army and not even spare the civilians as part of their “revenge“. Pakistan's aggression is evident by the fact that two-thirds of a total of 500 ceasefire violations along the western border have taken place in the last five weeks.

In Jammu alone, 200 ceasefire violations by Pakistan have been recorded in 2016 till Oct 31, most of them since the surgical strikes. In 2015, the total number of violations recorded by Pakistan were 405.

Officials said that the BSF was currently dealing with the “troika“ of Pakistani army , Pak Rangers and terrorists who have been trying to cross into the Indian territory under the cover of cross border fire. However, the Indian forces have retaliated to the fire adequately . Many people have been displaced and over 100 schools have been closed near LoC and IB.

Faced with the massive retaliation by the BSF, the Pakistan Rangers have now started feeling the heat. Ac cording to officials, two days before Diwali, Pakistan army and Rangers targeted Indian border out posts (BoPs) at Jammu's Akhnoor sector with small arms fire and mortar shelling without any provocation.

The BSF retaliated in such a manner that Pakistan Rangers' waived white flags asking the personnel to stop the fire.Several Pakistani soldiers got killed in the retaliatory fire.BSF had decided to throw everything at the Rangers in Akhnoor, which is also called the chicken's neck due to its shape as the Pakistani territory extends into the Indian side.“As the Rangers waived white flags and called for talks, BSF stopped the fire. They (Rangers) were clearly informed that talks could happen only at the commander level,“ said an official. However, the BSF never heard from the Rangers ever since they started targeting Indian posts again.

“It is usually a trick Pakistan tries whenever it is on shaky ground. Whenever they (Pak forces) realise that they cannot outdo an Indian response, they give up and ask for peace,“ said an officer.

A home ministry official said, “Our forces neither initiate ceasefire violation nor do they target civilians. They retaliate in a very calibrated and restrained manner when either their posts or personnel are targeted or cover fire is provided by Pakistan to allow infiltrators to cross over to India.“

2017

January-September 2017, 600 violations

The Times of India

HIGHLIGHTS

Pakistani troops have opened fire on Indian territories more than 600 times till September 30.

Eight civilians and 16 security personnel were killed in the firing, a home ministry official said.

It is the highest number of ceasefire violations in nearly a decade, the official said.

Pakistan has violated the ceasefire over 600 times so far this year, the highest in the last one decade, an official said.

Pakistani troops have opened fire on Indian territories more than 600 times till September 30. Eight civilians and 16 security personnel were killed in the firing, a home ministry official said.

It is the highest number of ceasefire violations in nearly a decade, the official said.

The truce between India and Pakistan along the International Border, the Line of Control and the Actual Ground Position Line in Jammu and Kashmir had come into force in November 2003.

India shares a 3,323-km-long border with Pakistan of which 221 km of the IB and 740 km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir.

There were nearly 450 ceasefire violations in 2016 in which 13 civilians and as many security personnel were killed.

2017: Pak violated 881 times, killing 30

December 20, 2017: The Times of India

The government informed Parliament that Pakistan violated the ceasefire a total of 881 times along the line of control (LoC) and the international border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir this year, killing 30 people. Minister of state for home Hansraj Ahir informed the Lok Sabha that Pakistan has violated the ceasefire along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir 771times till December 10, and 110 times along the IB till November-end. In these incidents of firing from across the border, 30 people — 14 Army personnel, 12 civilians and four Border Security Force (BSF) personnel — were killed.

No cross-border firing has been reported in other states except Jammu and Kashmir along the border with Pakistan, he said replying to a written question. According to security forces, Pakistan has used ceasefire violation to assist infiltration of terrorists into Indian territory for past few years and it is making continuous such attempts to disturb peace in the Kashmir valley but the Army, the BSF and other security forces are responding to such violations befittingly. The BSF and the Army have conducted special operations to retaliate to Pakistani firing on several occasions and several Pak Rangers and Pak Army officials have also been killed. The ceasefire between India and Pakistan along the international border, the line of control and the actual ground position line in Jammu and Kashmir came into force in November 2003.

2017: largest ceasefire violations since 2014

2017 new high for Pak border assaults, December 24, 2017: The Times of India

The cross-border firing by Pakistan army that killed a major and three soldiers at Keri in J&K’s Rajouri sector came towards the end of a year that saw over 780 ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the 778km Line of Control and 120 along the 198km international border.

Over 33 people, including 12 civilians, have been killed in these firings.

This marks a new high in recent years. Ceasefire violations along the LoC in 2014 and 2015, for instance, stood at 153 and 152, respectively, while the tally was 228 in 2016. Army chief General Bipin Rawat recently held that peace talks with Pakistan could take place only when it stopped supporting terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir. But given its actions and behaviour, it didn’t appear that Pakistan really wanted peace, he added.

Director general of military operations Lt Gen A K Bhatt had also told his Pakistani counterpart, Major General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, that there appeared to be a “disconnect” between his army headquarters at Rawalpindi, which professes a desire for peace, and its troops on the ground along the LoC, who resort to heavy firing and ceasefire violations without any provocation.

While maintaining that the Army will continue its efforts to ensure peace and tranquillity on the borders, Lt Gen Bhatt said it will “continue to take all retaliatory measures and retain the right to punitively respond to any provocative acts of aggression from the Pakistani side”.

The Indian Army has repeatedly told the Pakistan army to desist from actively abetting cross-border terrorism and infiltration, warning that all misadventures to either target Indian troops or provide cover fire to infiltrating terrorists would be met with retaliatory punitive fire assaults. India has stressed that any collateral damage in the cross-border firings is due to the Pakistan army’s “unacceptable” support to cross-border terrorism and infiltration as well as its strategy to deploy civilians at forward posts to gain intelligence and act as guides to terrorists crossing the LoC.

2017: Indian Army kills 138 Pak soldiers in tactical ops

Army kills 138 Pak soldiers in 2017 in tactical ops, January 10, 2018: The Times of India

The Indian Army killed 138 Pakistan Army personnel in 2017 in tactical operations and retaliatory cross-border firings along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, government intelligence sources said.

The Indian Army lost 28 soldiers during the same period along the LoC, the sources said.

The sources said the Pakistan Army usually does not acknowledge the deaths of its personnel and shows them as civilian casualties in certain cases.

The Indian Army has been adopting a "tough" approach in dealing with ceasefire violations and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir in the last one year.

The Pakistan Army has suffered 138 fatal and 155 non- fatal casualties in tactical operations and retaliatory cross-border firings along the LoC in 2017, the intelligence sources told PTI.

A total of 70 Indian Army personnel were injured during cross border firings and other incidents.

Asked about the fatalities on the Pakistani side, the Army refused to comment. However, Army spokesperson Col Aman Anand said India has been effectively retaliating against all ceasefire violations by the Pakistan Army and will continue to do so.

According to official figures, 860 incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops were reported in 2017 as against 221 last year.

It seems the Pakistan Army has a policy of not acknowledging the killing of its personnel, the sources said. They also referred to the Kargil war when Pakistan had declined to accept casualties despite proof given by India.

The sources also cited an incident on December 25 when a group of five Army commandos crossed the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir and killed three Pakistani soldiers. The Pakistan Army had posted a tweet that day acknowledging the deaths but later deleted it.

The Pakistan Army's spokesperson two days later rejected reports that Indian commandos selectively targeted a post across the LoC and killed three of its soldiers.

The intelligence sources said Indian Army killed 27 Pakistani soldiers in sniper firing last year while seven of its soldiers lost their lives in Pakistani sniper firing along the LoC.

As part of its policy of "hot pursuit", the Indian Army has been carrying out tactical operations to foil Pakistan Army's support to terrorists.

In May last year, the Indian Army had said it launched "punitive fire assaults" on Pakistani positions across the LoC, inflicting "some damage", days after two Indian Army personnel were beheaded.

2018

Jan 1 –Feb 14 (with some 2017 figures)

Rajat Pandit , 20 Pak soldiers killed this year in Army’s punitive fire, February 16, 2018: The Times of India

The Army has killed around 20 Pakistani soldiers and injured several others since January 1 this year by cranking up its policy to conduct punitive fire assaults and guerilla operations along the LoC to “proactively dominate” the border, government sources asserted on Thursday.

“The Army, with all its commanding officers along the LoC being given adequate freedom of action, is hammering and bleeding the Pakistan army to deny it any tactical advantage or moral ascendancy along the border,” said a source.

The targeted military pressure being exerted on the Pakistani army along the LoC has forced it to sound 35 “red-alerts” for its border troops, even as its 10 Corps commander Lt-Gen Nadeem Raza has visited a dozen border sectors since January, said the sources.

Several Pakistani posts have been destroyed in the fire assaults, with light field guns, heavy 120mm mortars and anti-tank guided missiles also coming into regular play from both sides, in areas like Balnoi, Mendhar, Kalal, Keran, Doda, Sarla, Laleali and Banwat along the 778-km Line of Control over the last four to five months.

All this comes in the backdrop of the escalating rhetoric between India and Pakistan, with the two defence ministers warning each other’s countries of deadly retribution, as well as the scathing criticism against the Modi government by Congress and other parties for failing to deliver on all its tough talk against Pakistan.

But both Army chief General Bipin Rawat and Northern Command chief Lt-Gen Devraj Anbu have stressed that the Pakistani army “is suffering three to four times more casualties” in the heavy exchange of crossborder firings.

If India lost 32 soldiers in CFVs, infiltration and other incidents along the LoC in 2017 (another 30 laid down their lives in counter-terrorism operations in the hinterland), sources said it’s estimated that 130-140 Pakistan soldiers were killed in the same year based on “radio intercepts, intelligence inputs and other information collated from different sources”.

Jan- Feb: 400 violations in 57 days

57 days, 400 truce violations: Pak leaves Kashmir reeling, February 27, 2018: The Times of India

If Trend Continues, 2018 Will Record Highest No. Of Breaches Ever

The line of control in Jammu & Kashmir between India and Pakistan remains extremely volatile, with ceasefire violations already jumping to over 400 in the first two months of this year. Apart from civilians, Pakistan has lost 23 soldiers in the firing duels, while the tally for India is 16 till now.

If this trend continues — and it has shown no signs of ebbing as yet — then 2018 is likely to record the highest number of violations along the LoC in the 15 years since the ceasefire along the 198-km international border in J&K, the 778-km LoC and the 110-km actual ground position line in Siachen came into force as a confidence-building measure between the two countries on November 26, 2003.

The step-up in cross-border hostilities, which saw as many as 860 ceasefire violations along the LoC and another 120 along the international border in 2017, began soon after Indian para-special forces conducted “surgical strikes” against terror launchpads in four different locations in Pakistanoccupied-Kashmir to avenge the killing of 19 soldiers in a suicide attack at the Uri Army camp in September 2016.

As part of its policy to “proactively dominate” the 778-km LoC through punitive fire assaults and guerilla operations, the Indian Army has destroyed several Pakistani Army posts in areas like Balnoi, Mendhar, Kalal, Keran, Doda, Sarla, Laleali and Banwat over the last four to five months, as reported by TOI earlier.

“Pakistani army posts aiding and abetting infiltration are being targeted. As per assessments, there are almost 400 terrorists in and around launchpads, both south and north of the Pir Panjal range, waiting to infiltrate into J&K,” an officer said. With even 105mm light field guns, heavy 120mm mortars and anti-tank guided missiles being regularly used by both sides over the last few months, the latest bout of heavy shelling took place in and around Uri last week.

Though the shelling in Uri has reduced a little now, the Pakistani army earlier even used loudspeakers to warn villagers there that it was going to open fire to avenge the killings of its soldiers by the Indian Army. “The warning was probably meant for villagers in PoK to take shelter. But villagers on our side also fled the area,” said an officer.

Army officers say the residents of border villages in Balkote, Silikote, Tilawari, Thajal, Churunda, Hathlanga and Batgra were evacuated to the government school at Uri due to “the unabated targeting of the local civilian populace by the Pakistan army”.

Both Army chief General Bipin Rawat and Northern Command chief Lt-Gen Devraj Anbu have stressed that the Pakistain army “is suffering three to four times more casualties” in the heavy exchange of firings.

If India lost 32 soldiers in truce violations, infiltration and other incidents along the LoC in 2017 (another 30 laid down their lives in counterterrorism operations in the hinterland), Army sources estimate 130-140 Pakistani soldiers were killed in the same year based on radio intercepts, intelligence inputs and other information collated from different sources.

2018, Jan> mid-May, highest violations since 2003

Rajat Pandit, At 881 cases this year, LoC violations highest since ’03, May 22, 2018: The Times of India

The ongoing cross-border firing duels between India and Pakistan, with artillery guns, antitank guided missiles and heavy mortars being used by both sides, have broken all records over the last 15 years.

Latest defence ministry-Army data showed 881 ceasefire violations (CFVs) were recorded along the 778-km long Line of Control (LoC) in the first 141 days of 2018, higher than the 860 violations in 2017, which was the record.

Sources said the government may have gone for unilateral suspension of counter-insurgency operations in J&K during Ramzan but there is no move to reduce the military pressure exerted on Pakistan along the border.

Though defence minister Nirmala Sitharam on Monday did say any concrete peace overture from Pakistan would be taken seriously, sources stressed Islamabad would have to “demonstrate concrete action to stem its export of cross-border terror” for any serious de-escalation to take place.

“Any comment on wanting peace will definitely be taken seriously,” Sitharaman said on being asked about Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s recent statement that a peaceful resolution of bilateral disputes, including Kashmir, could be found through “comprehensive and meaningful dialogue.”

As for suspension of operations against terrorists in the hinterland, Sitharaman said, “We (the armed forces) shall fully honour the policy that the home ministry on behalf of the government of India announced.”

The Army reluctantly agreed to suspend operations during Ramzan because it believes similar initiatives failed in the past, with terror outfits using the intervals to regroup, re-arm and unleash further violence, as was earlier reported by TOI.

But the defence establishment is in no mood to ease its “proactive” approach to “dominate” the LoC with Pakistan, with targeted fire assaults and covert tactical operations, despite rising casualties on both sides.

“The terror factory is Pakistan is alive and kicking. Almost 30 of the 50-55 terrorists who have tried to infiltrate into India this year have been successful,” a senior officer said.

Oct 2018: India retaliates, targets Pak brigade HQ in POK

Sanjay Khajuria, India strikes back, targets Pak brigade HQ in POK, October 30, 2018: The Times of India

Almost a week after Pakistan shelling an old structure in the Poonch area in Jammu & Kashmir, Indian Army gave a befitting reply by targeting the Hazira Brigade headquarters of Pak army across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pak Occupied Kashmir (POK), sources said.

The revelation by sources in the Indian Army came on a day when a video went viral on social media showing explosion in an area believed to be in the PoK. The targeting of Hazira Brigade headquarters follows Pakistan army’s violation of ceasefire by lobbing a shell on an old structure of the Poonch Brigade on October 23.

No casualties were reported in the October 23 shelling which resulted in a fire. Initially, the Army had stated that the fire was not related to cross border shelling. But a defence spokesperson confirmed that Pakistani troops had fired rocket propelled grenades. “One round landed on a barrel type store shelter in Poonch causing it to catch fire,” the spokesperson had said on October 23.

The sources said on Monday, “Indian Army has given a befitting reply to Pakistan for their cowardly act of October 23.” On October 21, the Indian Army had successfully foiled an infiltration bid in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri by killing two Pakistani intruders. Three Army jawans were killed in the encounter.

Nov: India, Pakistan agree to respect 2003 ceasefire

At flag meet, India, Pakistan agree to respect 2003 ceasefire, November 24, 2018: The Times of India

India and Pakistan decided at a brigadier commander-level flag meeting on Friday to once again adhere to the 2003 ceasefire understanding between the two armies after a spurt in crossborder firing duels over the last month following a spell of relative calm.

The flag meeting between Brigadier V S Sekhon and his Pakistan army counterpart Brigadier Qaiser was held at the Poonch-Rawlakote Crossing Point in J&K at 11 am. “We told the Pak army, which had called for the flag meeting, to control its ceasefire violations, while expressing concern at the continuing infiltration attempts by terrorists across the line of control. The Pak army assured it will institute measures to maintain peace and tranquility along the LoC ,” said an officer.

See also

Pakistan- India economic relations

Pakistan- India: issues

Pakistan vs. India, cricket

Pakistan- India: Cease-fire and its violations

Nuclear weapons testing: India- Pakistan

Nuclear arsenals: India, Pakistan

Russia- India trade relations

Pakistani attacks on India

and many more articles, especially about the 1965 and 1971 wars, The Kargil war of 1999, 1947...