The year of 'peace' along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir

Ground Report | New Delhi: LoC in Jammu and Kashmir; Following the recent ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, this year's figures of violations and killings in the border areas were the lowest ever compared to previous years. The year 2020 saw the highest ceasefire violation in J&K after more than 15 years.

LoC in Jammu and Kashmir

India shares a total border of 3,323 km with Pakistan, of which 221 km is the international border and 740 km is the Line of Control (LoC) which falls in Jammu and Kashmir.

Notably, since 1990, shelling along the border has claimed hundreds of lives and crippled scores in the Kashmir and Jammu region. Apart from this, in the last 30 years, due to shelling from across the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, houses and livestock worth billions of rupees have also been damaged.

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According to the data available with the news agency- Kashmir News Observer, there were 664 incidents of ceasefire violations in Jammu and Kashmir in the ensuing year till the middle of the year, in which 28 infiltration attempts, during which a total of 15 infiltrators and four soldiers lost their lives.

However, as per the details, not a single civilian was killed in the cross-border firing, which is the lowest ever compared to previous years. Apart from the recovery of a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, the security forces have also seized narcotics worth crores of rupees.

ALSO READ: Life near Line of Control: ‘Our lives, our property, nothing is safe’

"A total of 10 kg of a narcotic substance with a market value of Rs 50 crore was recovered on April 14, when the infiltration attempt was foiled. n June 25 drugs worth Rs 30 crore were recovered along with a warlike store in Kashmir valley in two operations close to LoC.

ceasefire violations

The year 2020 saw 5,100 incidents of ceasefire violations, the highest ever in the last 17 years, during which 36 people died and 130 were injured. A total of 3,289 incidents of ceasefire violations took place in the year 2019, of which 1,565 were registered after August.

On 26 November 2003, the then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee signed a ceasefire agreement with Pakistan, but it was not followed in letter and spirit.

In February this year, both India and Pakistan had recently agreed to a ceasefire agreement and said that all ceasefire agreements would be followed by both sides.

February's ceasefire agreement ignited hopes among border residents for a long-lasting peace with a return to the LoC regions with the celebration of special occasions and festivals, as well as increased tourist inflows to remote locations.

In September, the army had said that ceasefire violations in the Kashmir Valley were reduced to zero and that there were few infiltration attempts in which a terrorist was killed in an operation.

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Figures show that a total of 15 infiltrators were killed in various operations by security forces in Poonch, Uri, Nowshera sectors, besides four soldiers who lost their lives while foiling the infiltration, including three in January and one in February this year, While no major incident happened. Infiltration attempt apart from Uri operation

The data shows, "The Uri operation which lasted for 9 days was called off after 7 infiltrators were killed in two separate operations during which 1 terrorist was captured by the security forces."

Unexplored border sites were visited by a large number of visitors this year after assurances from the government that they would follow every step to promote and encourage border tourism.

situation remained calm

Locals reported that even during the ceasefire no major progress had been made on underground bunkers, "be it individual or community bunkers in the border areas."

It may be recalled that women soldiers of the Army were in the midst of increasing supply of drugs and ammunition in selected forward areas to keep an eye on the suspects and to prevent the entry of narcotics and ammunition on this site close to the forward areas. was deployed.

There was no major infiltration or ceasefire violation in the border areas of three districts, including Kupwara, Bandipora, and Baramulla, except one in the Uri sector, officials said.

The situation remained calm in all the three districts as compared to the previous figures.

ALSO READ: LoC villages in Kashmir: Tourism activities intensify

Baramulla reported 28 cases of ceasefire violations last year and casualties to four security forces and five civilians. Similarly, five civilians and 12 force personnel were killed in Kupwara in 16 and Bandipora reported nine ceasefire violations, in which two security forces personnel guarding the forward areas lost their lives.

Recent ceasefire violations in February are believed to have melted the ice in the border areas and the guns on both sides of the fence are silent.

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