Record truce violations by Pak along LoC in 2020

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 16

During the year 2020, amid the pandemic, Pakistan literally upped the ante along the 749 km-long Line of Control (LoC) with India.

The numbers for the year 2020 collated by the security forces show that there has been a spurt in cross-LoC firing, called as ceasefire violation in military parlance.

During 2020, Pakistani forces violated the ceasefire by firing across the LoC a whopping 4,645 times — the number was almost three times than 2018 when ceasefire was violated 1,629 times. Also in 2020 there was 32 per cent increase over 2019, which had seen 3,168 ceasefire violations.

Since the Article 370 was amended in August 2019, there has been a steady increase in firing from across the LoC targeting not just the Army posts, but also civilians — their homes and cattle sheds.

Three times higher than in 2018

• During 2020, Pakistani forces violated the ceasefire by firing across the LoC a whopping 4,645 times — the number was almost three times than 2018 when ceasefire was violated 1,629 times.
• Also in 2020 there was 32 per cent increase over 2019, which had seen 3,168 ceasefire violations.

5 ultras’ aides held for threat posters

• Five militants’ associates were arrested for pasting threat posters at Seer and Batagund villages of the Tral area in Pulwama district of J&K, the police said on Saturday.
• A case was registered. Jehangir Ahmad Parray, Aijaz Ahmad Parray, Towseef Ahmad Lone, Sabzar Ahmad Bhat and Qaisar Ahmad Dar — all residents of the Gulshanpora area of Tral — were arrested. PTI

Since August 2019 the spurt was visible, said a senior functionary, adding that in 2020, once the lockdown was imposed, the only option for Pakistan to show its ‘presence’ was to fire across the LoC. “It did exactly that,” he explained.

In 2020, the only narrative Pakistan could create for Kashmir was by firing across the LoC, as there was little activity in the Valley.

The number of terrorists attempting to infiltrate was lower and so was the lower success rate of such armed terrorists, the latter due to sustained pressure by the Indian Army along the LoC, which has been retaliating in equal measure.

Since the abrogation of Article 370, a sense of normalcy has returned to the Kashmir valley. The number of violent incidents has gone down and recruitment in various terror groups has also taken a hit, said sources.

Pakistan’s efforts to incite violence inside the Valley have proved futile as an increasing number of youth have started surrendering to the armed forces.

Desperate attempts are being made to incite youth and flood Kashmir with weapons to arm them subsequently.

The Army launched pinpointed intelligence-based targeted operations, which are being conducted to neutralise terrorists.

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