Line
of Control Violations by Indian Armed Forces (JR220)
Introduction
The term Line of Control (LoC)
refers to the military control line between the Indian and Pakistani controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which
does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but serves as
the de facto border. Originally known as the Cease-fire Line, it was redesignated as the "Line of
Control" following the Simla Agreement, which was signed on 3 July 1972. The part of the former
princely state that is under Indian control is known as the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistani-controlled part is divided into Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit–Baltistan. The northernmost point of the Line
of Control is known as NJ9842. The India–Pakistan border continues from the southernmost
point on the LoC. Another ceasefire line separates the Indian-controlled state
of Jammu and Kashmir from the Chinese-controlled area known as Aksai Chin. Lying further to the east, it is known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC)
Fencing
India constructed a 550 km barrier along the 740
km Line of Control. The fence generally
remains about 150 yards on the Indian-controlled side. Its stated purpose is to
exclude arms smuggling and infiltration by Pakistani-based separatist
militants.
The barrier itself consists of double-row of
fencing and concertina wire 2.4–3.7 m in height, and is electrified and
connected to a network of motion sensors, thermal imaging devices, lighting
systems and alarms. They act as "fast alert signals" to the Indian
troops who can be alerted and ambush the infiltrators trying to sneak in. The
small stretch of land between the rows of fencing is mined with thousands of landmines
The construction of the barrier was begun in the
1990s, but slowed in the early 2000s as hostilities between India and Pakistan
increased. After a November 2003 ceasefire agreement, building resumed and was
completed in late 2004. LoC fencing was completed in Kashmir Valley and Jammu
region on 30 September 2004. According
to Indian military sources, the fence has reduced the numbers of militants
who routinely cross into the Indian side of the disputed state to attack
soldiers by 80%
November 2003 ceasefire agreement
Pakistan
appears to be quite eager on formalizing the 2003 ceasefire, while the Indian
side appears quite reluctant to even discuss it. In his address to the 70th
session of the UN General Assembly in September 2015, the former Pakistani
Prime Minister Nawaz Shari said: “We propose that
Pakistan and India formalize and respect the 2003 understanding for a complete
ceasefire on the Line of Control in Kashmir”. And he went on to propose an
expansion of the U.N. Military Observer Group in India
and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to monitor the ceasefire. Then, the following year
in October 2016, the Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi, Abdul Basit, repeated the same
offer and said: “That would help to stop the situation from further
deteriorating until we are able to resume talks”.
Ceasefire violations along LOC had
become a routine business during the Kashmir uprising in the 1990s. After the
2003 ceasefire agreement they almost came to a halt during the peace process in
the years of 2004-2007. However, ceasefire violations started once again in
2008 when the peace process was derailed. The official statistics from India and
Pakistan suggest 2017 was the worst year since the 2003 ceasefire as the
violations crossed the 2000 mark for the first time. These figures clearly
suggest the unwritten 2003 ceasefire is now over, and India and Pakistan are
now back to the pre-2003 situation when such violations were routine along LOC.
According to Professor Happymon Jacob it was a miracle that the
2003 ceasefire survived for such
a long time despite the fact that there was nothing officially written between
the two countries.
2003- After Musharraf calls for a ceasefire along the
LoC during a UN General Assembly meeting in September, the two countries reach
an agreement to cool tensions and cease hostilities across the de facto border.
The year 2017 was the worst year in terms of
ceasefire violations between India and Pakistan since the 2003 agreement came
into force. India blamed Pakistan for 860 ceasefire
violations along the Line of
Control (LOC) and the working boundary along Jammu-Sialkot, while Pakistan
blamed India for 1300 ceasefire violations causing around 100 deaths in 2017 only. Both sides
claim they are retaliating, blaming the other side for breaking the ceasefire
in an ‘unprovoked’ fashion and
boasting that a ‘befitting response’ was given and a higher number of deaths were incurred on
the other side.
"Various
mechanisms will be set in place for maintaining peace and tranquility (along
LoC in J&K). Both sides agreed to a lot of things and agreed to further
continue this process so that the LoC can remain tranquil and we (India and
Pak) follow the tenets of 2003 ceasefire (agreement)", General Officer
Commanding (GoC) 16 corps Lt Gen R R Nimbhorkar told reporters on the sidelines
of a function today. Jul 13, 2018,
Pakistan Actions
The Sheer volume
of line of Control (LoC) violations, have rendered the ceasefire agreement null
and void. For the time being Pakistan has resorted to retaliation on the LoC
and diplomatic lobbying against the Indian aggression.
On September, 5,
2017, Pakistan raised this issue with the United States Security Council
(UNSC) to take action against escalating
Indian violence on the Line of Control and even on the working boundary. .In
response UN Military Observer Group was asked to investigate the violations,
but these violations contained.
Indian rationale
India accuses
Pakistan of resuming sponsorship of cross line of control militant attacks on
Indian armed forces, a charge Islamabad hotly denies, and disputes. New Delhi
has used this pretext for the aggression on the Line of Control. Put simply New Delhi has made punishing
terrorism within India by striking across the Line of Control. New Delhi does
not even have a clear tactical or strategic ends that are secured by means of
this aggression.
India links the formalization of the ceasefire
or any sort of normalization with Pakistan to ‘terrorism’. Maybe this Indian
response is only a part of the country’s grand strategy to pressure and isolate
Pakistan – otherwise it is quite difficult to understand why India would not be
willing to formalize the 2003 ceasefire when ceasefire violations have remained
one of the major concerns for New Delhi. The only justification which could be
offered is that India opposes any third-party involvement in the Kashmir
conflict invoking the 1972 Simla Accord. Therefore, it might be against the
expansion of the UNMOGIP to monitor the ceasefire. But the formalization of the
2003 ceasefire does not necessarily require the expansion of the UNMOGIP, and
some security analysts in India even favour the neutral oversight of the UNMOGIP
Ever since 2014
when Modi came to power. New Delhi has become even more aggressive, all thus
aggression on the Line of Control has debatable and questionable strategic
gains to India.
LoC violation some selected incidents
LoC violations: Apr., 16, 2020: The
Pakistan Army categorically rejected Indian allegations that Islamabad was
involved in ceasefire violations and was purposefully “infiltrating
COVID-affected individuals” in occupied Kashmir, saying they were “baseless”
and “delusional”.“Indian insinuations about infiltration and CFVs by
Pakistan are not only baseless but are also patently designed to divert global
and domestic attention from the unending fiasco post – 5 Aug 2019.” The
military’s media wing also rejected India’s accusations that Pakistan was
“infiltrating COVID-affected individuals into IOJK”, saying Islamabad had
always offered the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan
(UNMOGIP) unhindered access to sites where ceasefire violations had occurred.
“No less delusional are the allegations about Pakistan infiltrating COVID-affected individuals into IOJK. Pakistan has always extended unhindered UNMOGIP access to CFV sites.“We will continue to do that most transparently,” the ISPR warned.
“Indian leadership will be well advised to focus on addressing the internal mess, created not only by COVID-19 mishandling but also by the tragedy unfolding in IOJK for years on end,” it added https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/15/pakistan-rejects-indias-claims-of-infiltration-into-iok-ceasefire-violations/
“No less delusional are the allegations about Pakistan infiltrating COVID-affected individuals into IOJK. Pakistan has always extended unhindered UNMOGIP access to CFV sites.“We will continue to do that most transparently,” the ISPR warned.
“Indian leadership will be well advised to focus on addressing the internal mess, created not only by COVID-19 mishandling but also by the tragedy unfolding in IOJK for years on end,” it added https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/15/pakistan-rejects-indias-claims-of-infiltration-into-iok-ceasefire-violations/
LoC Violations: Apr., 13, 2020: A four-year-old boy was killed and four other civilians were injured
by Indian shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC) on
Sunday, officials said. The four-year-old victim, Hussain Mir, was killed in
Bantil village when the Indian forces started shelling earlier today. "The
innocent boy was hit by shrapnel from a mortar shell in the first bout of
shelling while he was standing in the courtyard of their house. He died on the
spot," Shahid said.Bantil is part of revenue village Tehjiyan and five
kilometres away from Dudhnial. Both Tehjiyan and Dudhnial had suffered damages
from Indian shelling on Friday as well. In Rakhchikri sector, two men, aged 26
years and 70 years respectively, were injured from Indian shelling . Meanwhile,
in Poonch district, a 14-year-old boy was critically injured after shelling
started in the area at about 6:30pm Early in the morning, a 50-year-old woman
was injured in Gaahi Barhu village of Samahni sector in the southernmost
Bhimber district The Nakyal sector of Kotli district was also being
“indiscriminately” shelled by Indian troops, residents said, adding that there
were no reports about casualties.“Indian army is targeting Mohra Dharoti,
Balakot, Nara Lanjot and other adjoining villages. As I speak to you, I can
hear the thunder of mortars and artillery,” Abdul Qayyum Tahir, a Nakyal-based
journalist told Dawn by telephone.“We will be able to ascertain losses only
when the shelling stops,” he added. The number of people killed by Indian shelling
in the year 2020 has increased to three while 54 civilians have been injured,
out of whom 38 are men and 16 women. Unprovoked, indiscriminate and
unrelenting ceasefire violations by Indian Army were not only causing civilian
casualties and damages but also disturbing our efforts to contain Covid-19 in
areas along the restive ceasefire line [LoC]. Earlier today, the Inter-Services
Public Relations had said that two civilians were injured from "unprovoked ceasefire violation" by
Indian forces during the night. On Friday, six civilians were injured after
Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing in various sectors near the LoC,
the ISPR had said. https://www.dawn.com/news/1548651/4-year-old-boy-killed-near-loc-from-indian-shelling-officials-say
LoC violation; Apr., 12, 2020: At least six civilians have been "seriously injured" in the
past 24 hours as Indian Army resorted to unprovoked firing in various sectors
near the Line of Control (LoC), the Inter-Services Public Relations said on
Saturday. "In last 24 hours six citizens including two girls have been
injured and evacuated to nearby health facilities for necessary medical
care," the ISPR said on Twitter. LOC Update: Indian Army resorted to
unprovoked fire in Nikial Sector deliberately targeting civilian population.
CFVs being responded befittingly by Pak Army troops. According to the statement, Indian forces
"deliberately targeted civilian population" in the Nikial, Sharda,
Dhudnial and Shahkot sectors, while at Bessan Wali and Chhari villages, four
innocent civilians, including a 15 year old girl, sustained serious injuries.
An 18-year-old girl was also injured seriously in Mohra village, it added. On
Thursday, Pakistan had shot down an Indian quadcopter after it violated
Pakistan's airspace in Sankh district. https://www.dawn.com/news/1548346/6-civilians-injured-by-indian-firing-across-loc-in-various-sectors-ispr
Cease
fire and LoC: Apr., 10. 2020: The
United Nations said on Wednesday that Secretary General Antonio Guterres’
recent global appeal for a ceasefire in the world’s conflict zones
also applied to the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, where India
had repeatedly been violating the ceasefire, causing casualties and damages on
the Pakistani side. The
secretary general, in an appeal issued on March 23, had urged warring parties
across the world to lay down their weapons in support of the bigger battle
against COVID-19, “the common enemy” that is now threatening all of humankind.
The global appeal, though, did
not seem to affect Indian occupation troops who frequently fire across the LoC
in violation of the ceasefire, despite a rise in coronavirus cases in the
occupied territory amid a crippling lockdown.
LoC : Feb., 28, 2020: Since 2019, at least 60 civilians have been killed
and more than 280 wounded due to Indian shelling into Pakistan-administered
Kashmir, according to Pakistani government data, which also revealed that the
death toll rose by 114 percent compared with the year before. Conflict at the LoC spiked in February 2019
following a suicide attack that killed at least 40 Indian security forces in
the Indian-administered town of Pulwama. India responded by increasing shelling
across the LoC and then carried out air raids on Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
province on February 26 s." https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/constant-fear-death-pakistan-administered-kashmir-200226140258169.html
LoC Violation: Dec., 20,2019: At least two
civilians were martyred and two others including a woman injured as Indian
forces violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) on Thursday Three soldiers of Pakistan Army also got injured in exchange
of firing between the two forces. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2121450/1-two-civilians-martyred-india-violates-ceasefire-along-loc/
LoC
violations: Oct., 21, 2019: Nine
soldiers of the Indian Army were killed and several others injured as the
Pakistan Army responded to New Delhi’s
unprovoked ceasefire violations along the Line of Control,. DG ISPR Major said Pakistan destroyed two Indian bunkers
after Indian forces deliberately targeted civilians in Jura, Shahkot and
Nousheri sectors. one Pakistani soldier and three civilians were
martyred in the exchange of fire, while two soldiers and five civilians
suffered injuries. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2083613/1-nine-indian-soldiers-killed-several-injured-loc-exchange-ispr/
LoC
fatalities: Oct., 2, 2019: India and
Pakistan have again traded fire along their highly militarized frontier in the
disputed Kashmir region killing a woman and a boy in a border village in
Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Raja Tariq, a local administrator in Nakyal
sector, says Indian mortars “fired unprovoked” Sunday and hit a home in Drary
village, killing 60-year-old widow Salamat Bibi and wounding a boy who later
died in a hospital. Another woman was also wounded. https://mynorthwest.com/1534521/pakistan-says-indian-mortars-kill-woman-boy-in-kashmir/
LoC : Sep., 30,2019: A woman and a
teenage boy were killed after being hit by Indian shelling from across the Line
of Control (LoC) on Sunday Indian
troops engaged in "unprovoked firing" along the LoC in Nakyal and
Rakhchikri sectors, targeting civilian population. https://www.dawn.com/news/1508031/2-dead-3-injured-after-unprovoked-firing-by-indian-troops-along-loc
LoC Firing: May, 6,2019: A young boy and a woman were 1(illed and another woman
was injured in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Sunday amid `unprovoked`
shelling by Indian troops from across the restive Line of Control (LoC), the
casualties occurred in Maal Gujran and Sehra villages in Khuiratta and Hajira
subdivisions of Kotli and Poonch districts, respectively, where Indian troops
resorted to shelling from 10am onwards Pooch District Disaster Management Officer
(DDMO) Rubia Kanwal identified the victims as 45-year-old Nasreen Begum, wife
of Chaudhry Wazir Hussain, and 24-year-old Sonia Nadeem. Shariq Talat, the DDMO
of the neighbouring Kotli district, told Dawn that a 12-year old boy, Mohammad
Shahid, son of Mohammad Shabbir, lost his life in Maal Gujran village, two
kilometres off the LoC in Anderla Kotehra sector. According to AJK officials, the latest casualties have
pushed the death toll in ceasefire violations by Indian Army this year to 16,
including six women, while the number of injured civilians has gone up to 82,
including 33 women.
LoC
: Oct.,18, 2019: Pakistani and Indian troops exchanged gunfire in the disputed
Himalayan region of Kashmir, killing four civilians and wounding nearly a dozen
others, officials from both sides said Wednesday. On Wednesday, Pakistan’s
foreign ministry said it summoned an Indian diplomat to lodge its protest over
the previous day’s “cease fire violations” that killed three civilians,
including two children, on the Pakistani side of the contested Kashmir border. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/pakistan-says-india-army-firing-kills-3-civilians-in-kashmir/2019/10/16/c4e4a0d4-efe7-11e9-bb7e-d2026ee0c199_story.html
#FreeKashmir #SaveKashmir
LoC killings: Oct., 10, 2019: The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday summoned Indian Deputy High
Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia to record a strong protest against the
"unprovoked ceasefire violations" by Indian forces along the Line of
Control (LoC) on October 6 and 7. An elderly woman had died and three other
civilians had sustained injuries in the firing in Chirikot sector along the de
facto border. https://www.dawn.com/news/1509718/pakistan-summons-indian-envoy-to-protest-killing-of-civilian-in-loc-ceasefire-violation
Pakistani
soldiers killed; July, 4, 2019: Five
Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred and one other sustained injuries in an
explosion that took place a few metres from the Line of Control in Chamb sector
of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in
a statement on Wednesday. Those killed include : Subedar Muhammad Sadiq,
aged 44, resident of village Bandi P/O Jura, tehsil Athmuqam and district
Neelam; Sepoy Muhammad Tayyab, aged 26, r/o village Surakhi, tehsil and
district Khushab; Naik Sher Zaman, aged
36, r/o village Shamashaki, district Karak; Sepoy Zohaib, aged 20, r/o village
Nandi Nar Ghamir Manhdala, tehsil Hajira and district Poonch; Sepoy Ghulam
Qasim, aged 22, r/o village Sahiwal, tehsil Sahiwal and district Sargodha.
LoC firing: July, 21, 2019:
A Pakistan Army officer was martyred and three civilians got injured on
Saturday as "the Indian Army resorted to unprovoked firing" and
shelling along the Line of Control (LoC), the Army's media wing reported. According to a press release issued
by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Indian Army used rockets and
mortars to target the civilian population and the Army posts in Battal, Satwal,
Khanjar, Nikyal and Jandrot sectors. "During the exchange of fire,
Havaldar Manzoor Abbasi embraced martyrdom while four citizens, including two
young girls and a woman, got injured," read the statement.
LoC:
July, 30, 2019: At least one civilian was killed while seven
others were injured in a village in Azad Jammu and Kashmir in yet another
"unprovoked" ceasefire violation by Indian forces from across the
Line of Control (LoC officials said on
Monday. Indian forces began
shelling and firing in the Nezapir sector at about 3:45pm and in Khurshidabad
sector at around 6pm on Sunday "without any provocation". "They
used both small and big arms and targeted civilian populations, restricting
people indoors till late night," he said. Rehmat Jan, a 45-year-old woman
who lived in Mandhar village, died after being hit by the splinters of a mortar
shell, Zaheer told Dawn. Another resident of the village, Begum Jan
(48) was injured due to Indian shelling, he said. Three civilians — Zainab Jan
(60), Muhammad Naeem Dar (24) and Ulfat Rashid (17) — were injured in Kairni
village while Munir Hussain (20), Kausar Parveen (26) and Nosheen (18) were
wounded in Kachar Ban. The civilian
death toll in the current year has increased to 22, including 13 men and nine
women. About 11 army personnel have also been
martyred along the LoC in the ongoing year, Qureshi added.
LoC violations: Aug., 19, 2019: 7 years old, Noor Saddam s/o Noor Mohammad, who was injured by firing
of Indian forces across the Line of Control yesterday, died today, May God give
him a status of a martyr. Abbaspur
AJ&K
LoC Violations: Jan., 10, 2019: a mortar shell fired by Indian
troops from across the frontier in Kashmir killed a woman as she was trying to
reach a shelter during an exchange of fire between India and Pakistan. Akhtar
Ayub says the woman, identified as Sajida Bibi, was “martyred” Wednesday when
the shell hit her near the bunker in Bugna village north of Muzaffarabad, the
capital of Pakistan-controlled section of Kashmir.
LoC Violations: Mar.,3,2019: Two Pakistan Army soldiers embraced martyrdom at Nakiyal Sector
in exchange of fire while targeting Indian posts undertaking firing on civilian
population," the ISPR statement read. "Martyrs include Havaldar Abdur
Rub and Naik Khuram. Reports of casualties of Indian troops and damage to post
due to effective response by Pakistan Army," it concluded. Earlier, ISPR
had reported Indian firing across the LoC, as a result of which two citizens
were martyred while two others, including a woman, were injured. Separately,
our correspondent reported that a 19-year-old youth, identified as Abdul
Ghaffar, was injured in Darra Sher Khan when he was shot at by an Indian sniper
from across the LoC.
LoC Violation: Apr., 28, 2020: Pakistan on Monday summoned the
head of Indian High Commission in Islamabad to lodge a strong protest
over the latest ceasefire violations by Indian troops along the Line of control
(LoC), leaving a woman martyred and eight-year old inured. The
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Indian troops initiated unprovoked
ceasefire violations in Jandrot and Khuiratta sectors along LoC deliberately
targeting civilian population on Monday morning. “Due to indiscriminate fire of
automatics and rockets, a 36 years old woman, Yasmeen, resident of village Red embraced shahadat
[martyrdom] while an 8 years old innocent girl, Adeeba Zaheer,
resident of village Mohra Chattar sustained serious injuries. [The] injured
child has been evacuated and being provided with medical care,” the military’s
media wing said. “The Indian occupation forces this year, India has committed 882 ceasefire
violations,” according to the FO. . https://tribune.com.pk/story/2208281/1-pakistan-summons-indian-diplomat-lodge-protest-ceasefire-violation-along-loc/
Recommendations
1.
International comminuty:The 2018 so called
Balakot strikes, did not result in any losses in Pakistan, but the fact that
India crossed the International border and bombed Pakistan territory did not
evoke a suitable response from the World community, who kept silent apart from
some hard core friends of Pakistan, has embolden India, the International
community did not meet expectations that people have with the world consciences
.
2.
UN suggested ceasefire: The United Nations
said on Wednesday that Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ recent global appeal
for a ceasefire in the world’s conflict zones also applied to the Line of Control
(LoC) in Kashmir, where India had repeatedly been violating the
ceasefire, causing casualties and damages on the Pakistani side. The secretary general, in an appeal
issued on March 23, had urged warring parties across the world to lay down
their weapons in support of the bigger battle against COVID-19, “the common
enemy” that is now threatening all of humankind. The global appeal, though, did not seem to affect
Indian occupation troops who frequently fire across the LoC in violation of the
ceasefire, despite a rise in coronavirus cases in the occupied territory amid a
crippling lockdown.
3.
Pakistan diplomacy:Pakistan should present
in a firm manner these violations at every forum available, including at the UN
forums, so that nec3ssary action can be taken.