JAMMU: Claiming that there has been 100 per cent increase in cross-border firing, BSF today said the repeated attacks show that Pakistan wants to project the IB and state of J&K as a “disturbed” region.
“It (to target and activate International Border by firing, shelling and engineering terror acts in past) clearly indicates that they have a design. The design is that they want the J&K, including IB, to internationalise and project it as a disturbed area,” IG BSF Jammu Frontier, Rakesh Sharma told reporters here today.
Sharma was replying to a question on whether Pakistan is activating IB in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts by targeting it with ceasefire violations and terror attacks in bid to internationalise the border region.
He said, “There are no dispute on IB. There is no land dispute on IB. There is no dispute of local farmers on the two sides of the border. There is no dispute on border resources or any other resources as it happens on the other areas of the border.”
“Therefore, our area is being cultivated right upto the IB and there land has also been cultivated upto the IB and therefore there should be peace on the borders as we always want. India wants peace and tranquillity on the borderline and prosperity of the border population and Pakistan never wants it at whatever costs it may be,” Sharma said.
On the question of increase in firing and shelling along the borderline during last five years, he said that there has been a huge cross-border firing in last year.
“In previous period, there was firing one or two times in a year. When you compare it with the current 12 months, there has been firing for almost 10 months, leaving just one or two months without cross-border firing,” he said.
“Firing has been taken in different sectors, including RS Pura, Akhnoor, Samba and Kathua. If we take figures into cognisance, there has been a huge increase in cross-border firing. There has been always ceasefire violation from Pakistan and it was repeatedly been done. The figures are very high,” Sharma said.
“There has been 100 per cent increase in ceasefire violations from mid of 2014 to 2015 as compared by previous years. If earlier there was firing in 1-2 months in a year, now it is happening in every month. During this period, there has been firing in every month,” Sharma said. (Agencies)