Pakistan violated ceasefire 2,500 times in 10 months: Report

Pakistan has violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) over 2,500 times from January to November 15 this year, Indian Army sources said on Saturday, adding that more than 350 of these violations took place in the month of October. In the first 11 days of November, as many as 97 ceasefire violations from the Pakistan side was reported.

The ceasefire violation count in October was the highest in all these ten months, army officials informed, while the only other time the count exceeded the 300-mark was in August, shortly after India revoked Article 370 and 35A of the constitution, thereby cutting short the special status enjoyed by the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. The number of ceasefire violations recorded in August was 307.

Ceasefire violations have been reported almost every day for the past three months in the districts of Hiranagar, Akhnoor, Sundarbani, Nowshera, Rajouri, Mendhar, Poonch, Udi, and Kupwara.

In addition to this, from Kathua to Kupwara Tangdar, civilians have been targetted who were in the way of Pakistan's mortar shelling for more than 10 times in a single day, causing people living near border areas fleeing for their lives. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has championed a government initiative, a border management programme, that has instilled a modicum of safety in the people's lives. Under the programme, as many as 14,460 bunkers have been constructed along the entire LoC and International Border (IB), ranging from Jammu's Kathua to Kashmir's Kupwara, to provide a complete safety cover to all the civilians.

The central government has also ensured that bunkers be constructed blocking every school, neighbourhood, houses, and streets that might come in the range of Pakistani Army's gunfire.

The government had, in 2018, released funds worth Rs 415.73 crore for the construction of the bunkers, 90% of its work has been completed till now.