J&K ceasefire violations: MHA asks BSF to intensify vigil along Indo-Pak border

New Delhi: The Home Ministry has directed the BSF to intensify vigil along the International Border in the wake of repeated attempts by militants to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir.
In the past two months, Pakistan-based militant groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed have made many attempts to infiltrate into the country some of which have been successful, official sources said.

The infiltration attempts have been made eyeing the ongoing Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir which the militant groups wanted to disrupt, they said.

They also said that the encounter in Arnia sector of Jammu region close to Indo-Pak border on November 28 in which 12 people, including three army personnel, were killed and Friday’s attack in four places in Jammu and Kashmir in which left 21 people, including 11 security personnel, dead, were results of such infiltrations from across the border.

“The BSF has been alerted and asked to intensify the vigil along the border to foil any attempt of infiltration,” a source said.

According to Home Ministry statistics, there have been more than 130 infiltration attempts till October and of these nearly 45 have taken place in the past three months.

In 2013, there were 354 cases of infiltration along the Indo-Pakistan border in which 56 militants were killed and 145 others arrested. There were 332 incidents of infiltration from across Pakistan in 2012 in which 30 were killed and 123 were apprehended.

Similarly, in 2011, there were 317 incidents of infiltration in which 50 militants were killed and 86 others were arrested.

Interestingly, a total of 545 incidents of ceasefire violation also have taken place along the Line of Control and International Border till November 25.

Of these, 395 incidents of ceasefire violation have taken place along the International Border and 150 incidents of ceasefire violation took place in LoC till November 25.

There were 199 incidents of ceasefire violation along the LoC in 2013 and 148 along International Border last year.

PTI