News Desk
Delhi March, 17 (PTK) Ceasefire violations along the India-Pakistan border increased by almost 48 per cent in 2020 as compared to 2019, even as militant attacks in Kashmir were less than half during this period, the government told Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
It also informed Parliament that the number of militants killed by security forces in Kashmir in this period went up by 41 per cent.
In reply to a question on ceasefire violations by Pakistan and militants incidents in the Valley over the past three years, MoS Home G Kishan Reddy told Rajya Sabha in a written reply that the year 2020 witnessed 5,133 ceasefire violations as compared to 3,479 in 2019 and just 2,140 in 2018. As many as 22, 18 and 30 civilians were killed in these incidents, respectively, while 24, 19 and 29 security personnel were killed, respectively.
Reddy also said there were 244 incidences in Jammu and Kashmir in 2020 with 37 civilian and 62 security personnel casualties. In 2019, the incidents stood at 592 with 37 civilian and 80 security personnel casualties. In 2018 the figures stood at 614, 39 and 91 respectively.
In the past three years security forces have killed more than 600 militants in Jammu and Kashmir with 257 kills in 2018, 157 in 2019 and 221 in 2020, Reddy said.
“Jammu and Kashmir is affected by militancy sponsored and supported from across the border for the last three decades. The ceasefire violations by Pakistan are reported from the IB/LoC in Jammu and Kashmir only. The Government has adopted a policy of zero tolerance towards militancy,” Reddy said.
He said that immediate and effective retaliation is undertaken by the security forces in cases of ceasefire violations. “There has been a substantial decline in the attacks over the last three years, due to a slew of pre-emptive measures undertaken by the Government,” he said .(PTK)
Comments are closed.