NEW DELHI: Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat has claimed the Pakistan Army is “suffering three to four times the number of casualties compared to us” in the alleged ceasefire violations, reported Times of India.
Another senior officer claimed, “Pakistan is hurt more than us…that’s why the Pak Army refuses to give its casualty figures to its own Parliament. We estimate 130-140 Pak soldiers were killed in our cross-border firings and tactical operations last year.”
“I don’t think the situation will get better in the short term. The atmosphere has been completely vitiated by the Pak Army strategy to send terrorists across to carry out IED blasts, mutilate our soldiers and attack garrisons.”
It leaves no space for any confidence-building like a ceasefire agreement,” claimed former Northern Army Command chief, Lt-Gen D S Hooda (r), who oversaw the “surgical strikes” on September 29, 2016.
On Sunday, a civilian was killed while two children were injured after Indian troops along with along the Line of Control (LoC) resorted to unprovoked firing across the border.
On Jan 28, three civilians were injured after Indian forces opened unprovoked fire across LoC in Kashmir.
Earlier on Jan 20-21, the Foreign Office had informed of an Indian ceasefire violation across the LoC in Nikial Sector.
A man and a woman, both villagers, were said to have been killed in the incident and three, including a six-month-old, were injured.
The Foreign Ministry had summoned the Indian deputy high commissioner that day to record a protest. On January 22, at a visit to the LoC and Working Boundary in Khuiratta and Ratta Arayan sectors, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa had said Indian aggression or any misadventure will always get a befitting response.
Ceasefire violations are a frequent feature along the LoC and Working Boundary despite the leadership of Pakistan Rangers and India’s Border Security Forces agreeing in November 2017 that the “spirit” of the 2003 Ceasefire Agreement must be revived to protect innocent lives.
In 2018, Indian forces carried out more than 150 ceasefire violations along the LoC and the Working Boundary in just 20 days, resulting in the death of nine innocent civilians, while injuring 40 others.
In 2017, Indian forces committed more than 1,900 ceasefire violations.