NEW DELHI: Pakistan Army’s bid to violate the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC) has seen a massive jump this year.
“The Pakistan Army, this year, violated the ceasefire agreement 3,200 times.” an Army officer said.
The number of ceasefire violations till December 27, this year, marks a significant increase from 1,629 in 2018. Ceasefire violations numbered even less in 2017 and 2016, at 881 and 449 respectively.
The Pakistan Army has been mostly targeting certain pockets on both sides of the Pir Panjal ranges.
“(Ceasefire violations) have been quite high in the areas of Uri, Tangdhar and Gurez in the north of Pir Panjal. In the south of the ranges, the violations are largely concentrated in Akhnoor and Poonch,” the officer said.
The Army’s Chinar Corps (15 Corps) handles operations on the North of Pir Panjal Range (NPPR), while the White Night Corps (16 Corps) is responsible for operations in South of Pir Panjal Range (SPPR).
The officer attributed the spike in ceasefire violations from across the border to face a loss of the Pakistan Army in the light of the surgical strikes in 2016 to avenge the Uri attack and the cross-border airstrike on a terror camp in Balakot this February.
The airstrike came in retaliation to the Pulwama terror attack.
Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia (Retd), former operations head of the Indian Army, linked the recent spike in cross-border firing to the desperation of Pakistan’s military commanders to gain some “moral ascendancy” after the successful operations of the Indian forces.
“The ceasefire violations are aimed at helping terrorists sneak in and gain moral ascendency.”It starts a cycle of firing, which spreads across the LoC, and draws a befitting response from the Indian Army, he said.
Border dare sees jump
The number of ceasefire violations till December 27, marks a massive rise from 1,629 in 2018.
The Pak Army has been mostly targeting certain pockets on both sides of the Pir Panjal ranges.
Ceasefire violations have been quite high in Uri, Tangdhar and Gurez, in the north of Pir Panjal.