India accuses Pakistan of violating ceasefire agreement at border

27 Janvier 2014 , Rédigé par ileridefense Publié dans #Asie

India is accusing Pakistan of ceasefire violations less than three weeks after an agreement to stop troops from firing at each other across the border.

Representatives from both countries talked at meeting on Jan. 17 along a disputed section of the border known as the Line of Control [LoC].

“We have lodged a strong protest with Pakistan Army authorities over the ceasefire violations along LoC in Poonch [district],” a senior Indian Army officer told Press Trust of India news service.

“Pak authorities denied ceasefire violations from their side as usual,” the Army officer said, adding that the meeting was cordial.

“Both delegations were led by brigadier-level officers and discussed various issues related to the ceasefire agreement as well as the need to improve responsiveness of existing communication channels,” an Indian Defense Ministry spokesman said.

On Jan. 13, Indian Army troops foiled an infiltration attempt by Pakistan at the LoC in Poonch in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Army troops guarding the border foiled the infiltration bid after an exchange of gunfire.

In December the countries vowed to have a semblance of peace and had directed their respective troops not to fire at each other from across the border.

Firings by troops are frequent, with more than 200 such incidents being recorded in 2013.

The Directors General of Military Operations [DGMOs] of the two countries met on Christmas eve at the land-border crossing at Wagah, about 20 kilometers [12 miles] east of the Pakistani city of Lahore, and announced the move to restrain their troops.

China – which shares a common boundary with Pakistan and India – and the United States welcomed the move. Globally, nations fear unprovoked firings could escalate into a conflict, especially since both India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons and have been ramping up their nuclear arsenals.

New Delhi and Islamabad frequently accuse each other of unprovoked firing from across the border.

Fully armed troops backed by artillery guns and tanks, are stationed on either side of the 947-kilometer [588-mile] frontier in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is partly controlled by India and partly by Pakistan. The LoC is about 749 kilometers [465 miles] away. The term Line of Control was devised after the 1971 war between the two countries and the subsequent Simla Agreement of 1972.

Despite an agreement to cease fire along the LoC announced in 2003, last year was one of the worst in terms of cross-border firing.

On Dec. 24, 2013, both countries tasked their DGMOs with ensuring peace and halting the firing.

Neighbors committed to ensuring cease fire

In a joint statement released after the meeting, “the DGMO’s of both sides showed their commitment to maintain the sanctity and ceasefire on the Line of Control and agreed to re-energize the existing mechanisms.”

Indian Army Chief Gen. Bikram Singh said at a news conference in New Delhi on Jan. 13 that he is “positive about the meeting that took place. I am sure this will ensure ceasefire along the LoC. This helps the environment on both sides and is conducive for development besides addressing aspirations of people along the borders.”

The following decisions were made at the DGMO meeting:

• To make telephone hotline contact between the two DGMOs more effective and result- oriented.

• To inform each other if any civilian inadvertently crosses the LoC and to ensure that person’s return.

• Brigadier-level officers will meet on designated points along the border to ensure peace and tranquility are maintained along the LoC.

• To resolve and commit to continue a ceasefire to maintain peace and tranquility on the LoC.

Peace protocol at first meeting in 14 years

The DGMOs of India and Pakistan speak every Tuesday and whenever either of them lodges a protest. The Dec. 24 meeting was the first in 14 years; the last time military officials of such high ranks met was in July 1999 during the peak of a conflict between the two countries. There is no formal structured interaction between the two militaries, which have faced each other at war four times – in 1948, 1965, 1971 and 1999.

In the wake of the 2008 terrorist attack on India’s commercial capital Mumbai, killing 166 people and involving Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, New Delhi and Islamabad have struggled to keep a dialogue open.

Maintaining peace is crucial as India and Pakistan are increasing the size and sophistication of their nuclear arsenals.

“Both countries are developing and deploying new types of nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missile and both are increasing their military fissile material production capabilities,” the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute [SIPRI], an independent institute researching conflict, armaments and arms sales, reported in its “SIPRI Yearbook 2013” released June 3. India’s estimated nuclear arsenal was 90 to 110 while Pakistan’s was 100 to 120, the report said.

China welcomed the latest effort to achieve a ceasefire on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in Beijing.

“As a shared neighbor and friend to the two countries, China will as always support them to resolve relevant disputes properly through peaceful dialogue.”

Sushil K. Singh

Asia Pacific Defense Forum

2014.01.22

Border meeting: Pakistan Army’s Director General of Military Operations Maj. Gen. Aamer Riaz, right, welcomes his counterpart, Indian Army Lt. Gen. Vinod Bhatia at the Pakistan-India Wagah Border Post near the Pakistani city of Lahore on Dec. 24, 2013. [Inter-Services Public Relations, Pakistan]

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