“The amount of casualties inflicted on the Pakistan Army is about three times more than what the Indian Army has suffered along the LoC,” said experts
NEW DELHI: The Indian Army has inflicted 20 casualties on the Pakistan Army this year, sources in the security establishment said today. In addition, the army has conducted eight to 10 actions against the Pakistan Army along the Line of Control from the past three to four months.
On the other hand, the Indian Army has suffered 10 casualties during ceasefire violations along the LoC this year, according to the sources.
“From the last three to four months, there has been sustained proactive action along the LoC which has resulted in heavy damages to the Pakistan Army,” explained the sources.
“According to intelligence inputs, 20 casualties have been inflicted on the Pakistan Army this year,” said sources, adding that as a result there is a state of high alert on the Pakistan side of the LoC. The Pakistan Army’s 10 Corps Commander based at Rawalpindi has been frequently visiting areas along their side of the LoC.
Experts say that any incident wherein the Pakistan Army is responsible for causing casualties on the Indian Army, it is highlighted by the Indian media. So releasing figures of casualties inflicted on the Pakistan Army is to shed light on the fact that the Indian Army is also causing casualties on them in retaliation to any incident of violence.
“The amount of casualties inflicted on the Pakistan Army is about three times more than what the Indian Army has suffered along the LoC,” said experts. However, the Pakistan Army only on few occasions has accepted their casualties. Otherwise, they portray them as civilian casualties.
The Indian Army’s policy on the Pakistan army is quite clear- to teach them a lesson when they “misbehave”. During a Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) level talk between the two on September 22 last year, India had said that the latter’s forces are responsible for ceasefire violations, infiltration and targeting of Indian troops through cross-border actions. During another DGMO talk on October 30 last year, the Indian Army had said that due to the Pakistan Army’s support to armed terrorists who infiltrate across the border and target Indian Army posts, the Indian Army retains the right to “punitively respond” to such acts of aggression.
On Wednesday, Lt Gen Devraj Anbu, GOC Northern Command, said that more than 300 terrorists are waiting cross the LoC in Pakistan to infiltrate into India.
Furthermore, the level of violence between the two armies along the LoC has increased after the surgical strikes in September, 2016. In 2016, there were 228 ceasefire violations along the LoC, as stated by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in response to a question in the Lok Sabha on February 7. Sources explained that most of the violations took place between October and November of 2016, following the strikes.
The strikes immensely hurt the Pakistan Army’s pride, which caused them to respond with regularly violating the ceasefire, said experts.
In 2017, there were 860 ceasefire violations along the LoC. There were also tit for tat actions. On December 25, the Indian Army had conducted a cross border raid by an elite group of its soldiers on a Pakistani post in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Three Pakistan Army soldiers were killed and another was injured. The raid was in retaliation to the Pakistan Army carrying out a similar action that led to four Indian Army soldiers being killed near the LoC in Rajouri earlier that month.
Until January 29 this year, there have been 192 ceasefire violations along the LoC.