Fri. Mar 29th, 2024
Indian Army Soldier

The India Pakistan border is known to be one of the most staunchly guarded borders across the world and the strained relations between the two countries is of common knowledge to the world too. Since last year, post the killing of the celebrated militant Burhan Wani and attacks on the Srinagar parliamentary elections, violence between India and Pakistan seems to be ever increasing.

In the background, some facts to be known are- India and Pakistan have disputed the territory of Kashmir for nearly 70 years since it became independence from Britain. Both countries claim the whole territory but have control over only parts of it. Two out of three wars fought between India and Pakistan are because disputes about Kashmir. Since 1989 there have been many armed revolts in the region against rule by India. Low employment and complaints of heavy-handed tactics by security forces battling street protesters and fighting insurgents have aggravated the problem.

The countries have had intense political differences due to which this territorial claim to Kashmir has been the subject of wars between the two countries in 1947 and 1965, and a limited conflict in 1999. The state remains divided between the two countries by the Line of Control (LoC), which clearly marks the ceasefire line agreed upon in the 1947 conflict modified in 1972 as per Simla Agreement.

Even the LoC where about 200,000 soldiers from both the countries face each other and there has been continual ceasefire infiltration by separatist Kashmiri and Pakistani militants who cross the LoC in both directions from the Indian side to get arms and training in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and back to the Indian side to fight security forces in the Kashmir valley.

According to the Indian Army, Pakistan violated the ceasefire 860 times in 2017, with 147 violations occurring in December, the most in any year since the November 2003 ceasefire. Firing has continued in the New Year, with January bringing along a sharp increase in these firings.

By sampada