Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 24: Pakistan violated border ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir 685 times during the last eight months, resulting in death of 24 people, including eight security forces personnel.
Replying to a question in Rajya Sabha, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said 126 ceasefire violations took place along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) under operational control of Army while 559 violations took place along the IB under operational control of Border Security Force (BSF).
He said five Army personnel, three BSF personnel and 16 civilians were killed in the incidents.
Replying to more similar questions, Parrikar said “local dynamics” like construction works are one of the reasons for ceasefire violations.
“Appropriate retaliation to the ceasefire violations, as required, has been carried out by Indian Army/BSF,” he said.
In addition, all violations of ceasefire are taken up with Pakistan military authorities at the appropriate level through established mechanism of hotlines and flag meetings as well as weekly talks between Directorate Generals of Military Operations of the two countries.
BSF, too, hold talks at various levels with its counterpart, Pakistan Rangers, Parrikar added.
He further said that diplomatically, India has repeatedly emphasised, including at the highest level, the need for Pakistan to uphold the sanctity of the LC and abide by the ceasefire commitment of 2003 along the IB and LC.
Meanwhile, the Government today admitted that infiltration along the International Borders does take place but ruled out any definite pattern in it.
“Cases of infiltration along the International Borders of the country have been reported. However, no definite pattern emerges from the figures of infiltration pertaining to last three years,” Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju told Lok Sabha during Question Hour.
The Minister said in 2012, there were 707 incidents of infiltration along the Indo-Bangladesh border and 332 cases of infiltration along Indo-Pakistan border.
In 2013, as many as 1161 cases of infiltration have been reported along Indo-Bangladesh border and 345 similar cases along India-Pakistan border.
Rijiju said 1018 incidents of infiltration were reported along the Indo-Bangla border in 2014 while 268 such cases have reported in last year along Indo-Pakistan border.
In the first month of this year, 86 cases of infiltration were reported along Indo-Bangla border and four such cases along Indo-Pakistan border.
The Minister said fencing and flood-lighting has been sanctioned by the Central Government along the Indo-Bangla and Indo-Pak borders.
Rijiju said a number of steps are being taken to check infiltration along the borders that include effective domination of the borders by the border guarding forces through carrying out round-the-clock surveillance by patrolling ‘nakas’ and deploying of observation posts all along the International Borders of the country.
“The riverine segments of International Borders of the country are being patrolled and dominated with the help of water crafts, speed boats, floating border outposts of border guarding forces,” he said.
The Government has accepted the ‘One Rank, One Pension’ scheme for the armed forces and the same will be put in place once the modalities regarding its implementation are approved, the Rajya Sabha was told today.
“The principle of One Rank, One Pension for the armed forces has been accepted by the Government. The modalities for implementation have been discussed with various stake holders and are presently under consideration of the Government,” Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said.
He was replying to a question whether the Government had finally decided to implement ‘One Rank, One Pension scheme’ for ex-servicemen in defence forces.
The Scheme will be implemented once the modalities are approved by the Government, the Minister added.
Parrikar had early this month said that ‘One rank, One pension’ scheme will be rolled out soon.
The scheme, which seeks to ensure that a uniform pension is paid to Defence personnel who retire at the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement, has been a long-standing demand of the over two million ex-servicemen in the country.
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