India / Pak violated ceasefire 2,952 times in first 7 months of 2020: RTI

JAMMU: Pakistani troops violated ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir nearly 13 times a day during the first seven months of this year, resulting in the death of 23 people, including eight security personnel, and injury to over 100, an RTI query has revealed.

The RTI application filed by activist Raman Sharma also found that in the past two years and seven months, 8,571 ceasefire violations have taken place with the casualty figures being 119 dead (including 56 security personnel) and 608 injured, 300 of them security personnel.

As per the data, Pakistani troops have violated ceasefire 13.89 times per day in the past seven month till July.

"Till July 2020 (this year), 2,952 ceasefire violations were done by Pakistan troops in which 15 civilians, 8 security force personnel were killed and 62 security force personnel and 38 civilians were injured,” Director Ministry of Home Affairs, Sulekha, said in the reply to the Right to Information query.

During the last three years, people living near the International Border and the Line of Control areas of Jammu and Kashmir have witnessed on an average at least nine ceasefire violations by Pakistan daily, causing loss of lives and property.

In 2018, there were 2,140 ceasefire violations (nearly six a day) in which 59 persons including 30 civilians were killed, and 259 including 143 civilians injured.

The year 2019 witnessed nine ceasefire violations per day, totalling 3,479, in which 37 people including 19 security personnel were killed and 249 people including 122 security personnel injured.

The MHA reply also discloses that as compared to 2010, the incidents of such aggression by Pakistan at border in Jammu and Kashmir increased around 50 times in year 2019.

While there were only 70 such incidents in 2010 – killing two civilians and five force personnel – in 2019, 3,479 such incidents were reported in which 18 civilians and 19 security personnel lost their lives.

The RTI reply further says that from 2010 to till date, Pakistan violated the peace pact on borders at least 11,572 times by resorting to cross-border fire in J&K, killing 240 Indians -- including 122 civilians and 118 security force personnel – and leaving 673 civilians and 594 force personnel injured.

"Every year, the crossborder shelling incidents by Pakistan on border areas are increasing,” the reply said.