Indo-Pak at LoC: The Defence Ministry on Saturday claimed that the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) saw significant improvement after the Indo-Pak ceasefire in February 2021.
In a statement, the ministry said only three minor incidents of "violations" were recorded along the LoC in Jammu and Kasmir after armies of both countries agreed to observe a ceasefire in February last year.
Meanwhile, it also claimed that Pakistan's continuous possession of "proxy war infrastructure," the operation of terrorist training camps, and the presence of terrorists in terrorist "launch pads" showed its steadfast hostility towards India.
Pakistan continues to use 'narco-terror nexus'
In a year-end evaluation, the ministry said that Pakistan continued to use the "narco-terror nexus" to radicalise and inspire innocent young youth to target vulnerable civilians in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the ministry, the situation along the LoC has been largely calm, thanks to both sides' adherence to the ceasefire agreement reached by the Director Generals of military operations.
Only three minor incidents have been recorded since Feb 2021
"As compared to 4,645 ceasefire violations during its peak in 2020, only three minor incidents have been recorded since the Understanding in February 2021 with only one incident during 2022," the ministry said.
In a significant move aimed at reducing tensions, the Indian and Pakistani armies on February 25 last year announced that they would cease firing across the LoC while recommitting themselves to a 2003 ceasefire agreement.
"This year, Pakistan's attempts to push in terrorists have resulted in 12 infiltration attempts being eliminated along the LoC. Eighteen foreign terrorists were eliminated in these attempts and large quantities of arms and ammunition recovered," the ministry said.
'Pakistan continued to retain the infrastructure for the proxy war'
It also said though the situation improved, Pakistan continued to retain the infrastructure for the proxy war. "However, Pakistan continued to retain proxy war infrastructure and intent to prosecute Proxy War in J$K. The functionality of training camps, presence of terrorists in launch pads and continuing infiltration attempts vindicate persistent intent of Pakistan," it said.
It further said the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir continues to witness consistent improvement since the abrogation of Article 370. "The 'Whole of Nation Approach' has resulted in a reduction of violence, stone pelting and agitations in the Kashmir Valley," it said.
"Incipient normalcy has resulted in a consequent focus on tourism with 3. 65 lakh pilgrims visiting the holy Amarnath shrine and a significant increase in the number of tourists visiting the Valley in 2022," it said.
The ministry said the "incident-free" conduct of Amarnath Yatra this year is not only a "testimony of the robust security architecture in the valley but also vindicates the desire for peace amongst locals and their willingness to reap its dividends and the locals of Kashmir deserve due credit for this." It said the situation along the international boundary in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab largely remained peaceful.
(With PTI inputs)
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