HM Desk
Through the serpentine Himalayan roads, the descent into Pirpanjal Valley, comprising the twin border districts Poonch and Rajouri, is rough and bumpy. But the life in these towns exudes peace. Line of Control is more contagious in the Poonch district but people here enjoy the fruits of peace.
Before 25 Feb 2021 ceasefire agreement, the agriculture land closer to the LoC was difficult to cultivate. The farmers were not able to tend their lands or graze their cattle because cross-LoC shelling was a routine process and we only bothered about our safety,.
2020 saw 5,100 incidents of ceasefire violations which are the all-time high in the past 17 years that killed 36 people and wounded 130 others. The cease-fire violations lead to the closure of schools and people moved to safer places leaving their houses.
On Feb 25, the DGsMO of India and Pakistan issued a joint statement that said, “In the interest of achieving mutually beneficial and sustainable peace along the borders, the two DGsMO agreed to address each other’s core issues and concerns which have the propensity to disturb the peace and lead to violence. Both sides agreed for strict observance of all agreements, understandings and cease firing along the Line of Control and all other sectors with effect from midnight February 24-25 Feb 2021.”
This is the first time since the 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan that the LoC is calm and peaceful. According to the Army sources this year not a single ceasefire violation has been reported along the LoC or the International Border after the reaffirmation of the ceasefire agreement. Up to Feb 24 from January 2021, otherwise, the Indian army says, 740 ceasefire violations were recorded from the Pakistani side. Thus, the situation seems more comfortable than 2004 along the LoC.
In 2004, there had been only one ceasefire violation. In subsequent years the LoC saw an increase and decrease in the ceasefire violations like in 2007 there were 21 ceasefire violations; in 2008 77 such violations were reported but 2009 saw a dip again with 28 ceasefire violations. In 2010, 44 ceasefire violations were reported. In 2013, 199 incidents of ceasefire violations were recorded.
There was a slight dip in the ceasefire violations when the NDA came into power in 2014. That year saw 153 ceasefire violations. 2015 remained at 152. From 2016, there was an abrupt increase with 228 violations in 2016, 860 in 2017, 1,629 in 2018.
In 2019 over 3,200 instances or an average of nine ceasefire violations were reported daily. Of these, 1,565 ceasefire violations took place since August 2019, after the BJP government abrogated Article 370 and bifurcated the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories amid communication blockade, siege and arrests of over 8000 people including three former chief ministers.
The two steps, the cross LoC bus service, and the Cross LoC trade were seen two biggest CMBs between India and Pakistan. However, their suspension in April 2019 was seen as a regressive move and many believe it was linked with the government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 and 35A five months later on August 5, 2019.
