Why the Pakistan guns refuse to fall silent at the border

Four brave hearts of the BSF were martyred thanks to another senseless act by Pakistan. A ceasefire violation reported at 10.45 pm on Tuesday claimed the lives of three BSF personnel and injured 3.

The incident comes just a few days after it was once again reiterated by both the Indian and Pakistan Army that the 2003 ceasefire agreement would be implemented both in letter and spirit. In fact this was for the second time in less than a month that Pakistan had violated the ceasefire agreement.

India has always maintained that the ceasefire agreement of 2003 would not be durable unless and until Pakistan also commits to stop infiltrations. The agreement is silent on it and when it was signed in 2003, Pakistan had refused to let the clause on terrorists be added to it.

Who is pressurising the Pakistan army:

There have been several reports from the Intelligence Bureau which speak about the presence of nearly 200 terrorists waiting to cross over into India from Pakistan. In the past month at least 20 infiltration bids have been foiled by the Indian Army. Only last week, six terrorists were gunned down while trying to cross over.

The number of infiltration bids being foiled has clearly led to a great deal of desperation. There is immense pressure on the Pakistan rangers to violate the ceasefire so that the terrorists can slip in. The target is to ensure that all infiltrate into the Valley before the end of September.

The Indian Army on the other hand is keeping a very close vigil to ensure that infiltration bids are foiled. The unilateral ceasefire that has been declared in Kashmir has borne fruit and the number of recruitments have dropped considerably. The recent incidents of grenade hurling are being undertaken by those who are already on the ground.

With the numbers dropping considerably, there is a sense of urgency within the Pakistan establishment to step up the infiltrations and hence security officials say that the unprovoked firing would continue despite the ceasefire agreement.

Not a durable pack:

With nearly 800 ceasefire violations were reported in 2017 alone, the forces saw this as an alarming number. It was decided that the the November 25 2003, ceasefire agreement must be implemented in letter and spirit.

In 2008, the Ministry for External Affairs had said that, India has been positive in its response to Pakistan Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali's offer of ceasefire along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. India has thereby shown that it is always ready to appreciate any meaningful move from the other side if it helps to create an atmosphere conducive to improving relations between the two neighbours.

In fact, New Delhi has gone a step further by extending the ceasefire to the Actual Ground Position Line in Siachen, which has been happily reciprocated by Islamabad. While the guns would fall silent along the border, India hopes that Pakistan would also ensure that there are no infiltrations taking place. Infiltration of terrorists from the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad have been of utmost concern.

Several Intelligence Bureau reports in the possession of OneIndia speak about active training camps along the border from where nearly 100 terrorists would be launched on to Indian soil. Back in 2003, India had said that in order to establish a full ceasefire on a durable basis, there must be an end to infiltration from across the Line of Control. To take this process further, India also proposed a ceasefire along the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) in Siachen.

Pact silent on terrorists:

India had expressed concern and said that it was unfortunate that Pakistan had rejected India's stand that the ceasefire will be durable only if terrorists' infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir from across the border ends. Islamabad must realise the importance of the sensitive issue. It must also dismantle the 85 or more terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Occupied Kashmir and discontinue the communication and other facilities provided to militants in the interest of good neighbourly relations.

Instead of taking these points seriously, the Musharraf regime has reportedly shifted some of these camps nearer to the LoC. This is not how a hand of friendship is extended.

Banning a few terrorist outfits only on paper, as Pakistan has done for international (read the US) consumption, will not do. What is required is a change at the ground level. This is not possible unless there is the sincerity of purpose, sadly missing in Pakistan's approach, India had said back then.

The problem of infiltration is unlikely to come to an end with the latest developments. Senior officials said that there would be peace of mind for our soldiers following the decision, but none can ever let their guard down as infiltrations would continue.