Government intelligence sources today said that 28 soldiers of the Indian Army were martyred in 2017 along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
They added that 70 personnel were injured during cross border firings and other incidents, noting that armed forces have been adopting a "tough" approach in dealing with ceasefire violations and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir in the last one year.
The sources, according to a PTI report, even claimed that the Pakistan Army suffered 138 fatal and 155 non-fatal casualties in tactical operations and retaliatory cross-border firings along the LoC in 2017.
Asked about the fatalities on the Pakistani side, the Army refused to comment. However, Army spokesperson Col Aman Anand said that India has been effectively retaliating against all ceasefire violations by the Pakistan Army and will continue to do so.
According to official figures, 860 incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops were reported in 2017 as against 221 last year.
It seems the Pakistan Army has a policy of not acknowledging the killing of its personnel, the sources said.
They also referred to the Kargil war when Pakistan had declined to accept casualties despite proof given by India. The sources also cited an incident on December 25 when a group of five Army commandos crossed the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir and killed three Pakistani soldiers. The Pakistan Army had posted a tweet that day acknowledging the deaths but later
deleted it.
The Pakistan Army's spokesperson two days later rejected reports that Indian commandos selectively targeted a post across the LoC and killed three of its soldiers.
The intelligence sources said Indian Army killed 27 Pakistani soldiers in sniper firing last year while seven of its soldiers lost their lives in Pakistani sniper firing along the LoC.
As part of its policy of "hot pursuit", the Indian Army has been carrying out tactical operations to foil Pakistan Army's support to terrorists.
In May last year, the Indian Army had said it launched "punitive fire assaults" on Pakistani positions across the LoC, inflicting "some damage", days after two Indian Army personnel were beheaded.
With PTI Inputs
