As India keeps on engaging along the Line of Actual Control in a border row with China, ceasefire violations by Pakistan this year has already reached the highest in 17 years. In the first eight months of 2020, 3186 incidents were reported along the Line of Control as per a report in TNN.?
Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik addressed Parliament and said these violations occurred in Jammu region between January 1 and September 7.?
"In addition, 242 incidents of cross-border firing have occurred along India-Pak International Border in Jammu region in this year (January 1 to August 31, 2020)," he said.?
The Mos Defence confirmed that eight Army personnel have been killed and two others injured in the ceasefire violation-related incidents till September 7. The Border Security Force (BSF) which guards the International Border witnessed 5 non-fatal casualties.?
The minister said that Indian Army and the BSF have strongly retaliated to the unprovoked provocation from the Pakistani side.?
"Appropriate retaliation to the ceasefire violations, as required, has been carried out by Indian Army/BSF," the minister said.?
The MoS said the ceasefire violation incidents have been taken up with Pakistan authorities through hotline, flag meetings and during the talks between Director General of Military Operations of both the countries.?
Despite coronavirus pandemic, the hostile neighbour has been resorting to unprovoked firing at the border. The ceasefire violations by Pakistan are an attempt by the Pakistani Army to help infiltrate terrorists into the Indian side.?
The Indian and Chinese forces have been locked in a bitter standoff at multiple locations in eastern Ladakh since May 5. The tension escalated after a violent clash in Galwan Valley, following which the two countries held talks and agreed on disengagement of troops along the LAC to maintain peace.?
However, the situation again deteriorated after China's PLA tried to alter the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh on the intervening night of August 29 and 30. The Indian Army thwarted the attempt to the Chinese soldiers and bolstered their positions at crucial heights near the Pangong lake.?
In an attempt to defuse the tension, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi met last week on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet and reached the five-point consensus to resolve the over four-month-long border row in eastern Ladakh.