Pak violates ceasefire again, fires on 13 border outposts

Pakistani rangers violated ceasefire on Thursday again by firing on 13 border outposts in Samba sector, drawing retaliation from the Border Security Force.

The violation comes after four Pakistani rangers were on Wednesday killed in BSF's strong retaliation after a jawan of the force lost his life in heavy firing from the other side on a patrol along the International Border in Samba district.

"Pakistani rangers resorted to firing on 12 to 13 BoPs along the IB in Samba sector overnight," IG BSF Rakesh Sharma said.

"The BSF also retaliated, resulting in exchanges which continued till 6 am hours on Thursday, the IG said.

"There was no causality or injury to anyone in the firing," Sharma said. The firing by Pakistan was the third ceasefire violation along the IB in the past three days and seventh in last eight days.

In Wednesday’s incident, one BSF jawan was killed and another injured in firing by Pakistan on Regal post in Samba.

The BSF had retaliated effectively to the Pakistani firing and four Pakistani rangers were killed (opposite to Regal post) along the IB in the Samba sector, Sharma had said.

As Pakistani rangers suffered casualties, they had waved white flags asking the BSF to stop the firing so that they can lift the bodies of its dead men, he had said. Honouring their request, BSF had stopped the firing and allowed them to come to the border line and lift the bodies.

As per the data of the ministry of defence on sector-wise violations in 2014, the highest ceasefire violations have been reported from Jammu sector where there have been 347
CFVs, followed by 63 such violations along IB, 53 CFVs in Bhimbher Gali sector and 21 in Gurez sector along LoC.

Then Director General of BSF D K Pathak had termed the last year's ceasefire violations as the most heavy firing and shelling since 1971 Indo-Pak war.

In 2013, there were 347 ceasefire violations by Pakistan, including 199 along LoC and 148 along IB in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 12 security personnel were killed, according to the figures.

Pakistan had violated the ceasefire agreement with India on 114 occasions in 2012, including 93 CFVs along LoC and 21 along IB, in which 9 people including 5 security men and 4 civilians were killed.

The corresponding number was 62 in 2011, including 51 along LoC and 11 along IB, in which five security men were martyred, according to the data.

In 2010, Pakistan violated the ceasefire agreement with India on 44 occasions, in which two Army personnel were killed. There were 28 violations reported in 2009, followed by
77 in 2008, 21 in 2007 and three in 2006, according to the data.