News Desk |
The Indian army has pleaded with Pakistan to put an end to the rounds of artillery fire after inflicting severe losses in the retaliatory attack launched by the Pakistan army on the Line of Control. Official sources reveal that the two nuclear-armed rivals were once again, engulfed in a border skirmish on Monday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ISPR or any other official authority from Islamabad has not yet commented on India’s request, hence, it is unclear whether or not Pakistan has acted upon it. However, media reports reveal that Pakistan and India are negotiating measures to de-escalate tensions on the Working Boundary and the LoC.
Reports suggest that the communication channels that were discarded during the border skirmishes that erupted in February might have been reinstated once again. Only last week, Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary, Dr. Sohail Mehmood, had a long meeting with India’s High Commissioner, Ajay Bisaria, at the Foreign Office, and analysts believe that the two held important discussions on de-escalation and peace-building.
On 2nd May, Indian ceasefire violations targeted innocent civilians in the Rakhchikri Sector, martyring 15-year old Tahir Hafeez and badly injuring his nine-year old sister Tahira.
However, no details of this meeting have been revealed to the press, but New Delhi’s request to put an end to the artillery use does indicate India’s willingness to put an end to the military standoffs.
Standoff on the LoC
The use of artillery and military standoffs between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control intensified after 28th February, when Pakistan shot down two Indian fighter jets and captured one Indian Wing Commander, Abhinandan, who was returned by Prime Minister Imran Khan the next day.
However, despite returning the captured pilot, the border between India and Pakistan witnessed a “massive exchange” of fire, and as per DG ISPR’s press conference on 29th April, many Indian posts in Indian-occupied Kashmir were destroyed by Pakistan retaliatory fire. Media sources reveal that Pakistan’s befitting response claimed the lives of 34 Indian soldiers.
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During his press briefing, Director General Inter Services Public Relations, (ISPR) Major-General Asif Ghafoor, had also stated that Pakistan’s retaliatory response on 28th February forced the Indian forces to alter their positions.
India’s Unprovoked Ceasefire Violations
On 8th May, Pakistan’s Foreign Office summoned Indian Deputy High Commission, Mr. Gaurav Ahluwalia, to serve India with a diplomatic demarche on its recent unprovoked ceasefire violations, which claimed the lives of three innocent civilians.
Dr. Mohammad Faisal, Director General South Asia, and SAARC, condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control on 2nd and 5th May. On 2nd May, Indian ceasefire violations targeted innocent civilians in the Rakhchikri Sector, martyring 15-year old Tahir Hafeez and badly injuring his nine-year old sister Tahira.
India, in its typical knee-jerk reaction, was quick to blame Pakistan, and further escalated tensions by claiming to have launched alleged aerial strikes in Balakot to kill supposed militants and destroy terror camps.
On 5th May, Indian forces, once again, targeted civilians in Hotspring and Kotkotera sectors, martyring Nasreen Bibi and 12-year old Muhammad Zahid. Pakistan condemned India’s continuous targeting of civilian populated areas with heavy weapons, and Dr. Faisal reminded the Indian diplomat that this “unprecedented increase in ceasefire violations has been ongoing since 2017 when the Indian forces committed 1970 ceasefire violations.”
Islamabad has also asked New Delhi to allow the United Nations Military Observe Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandate role in observing the military conduct across the LoC and Working Boundary, as per the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.
Kashmir: Nuclear Flashpoint in South Asia
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated in the wake of the Pulwama Attack, which occurred on 14th February and claimed the lives of 40 Indian paramilitary troops. India, in its typical knee-jerk reaction, was quick to blame Pakistan, and further escalated tensions by claiming to have launched alleged aerial strikes in Balakot to kill supposed militants and destroy terror camps.
Read more: Indian defense ministry unaware of LoC violation
Pakistan not only nullified Indian claims of the presence of terror camps and conducting aerial strike by inviting local and international media to the site in Balakot, but also, Pakistan’s swift response shattered Indian military glory by shooting down two Indian fighter jets and capturing one of their pilots.
In a recent interview, Indian activist, renowned writer, and Modi’s harshest critic, Arundhati Roy stated that Indian-occupied Kashmir can be likened to a “pressure cooker” where anything can occur at any time. She lamented that more and more Kashmiri youngsters are taking up militancy to join the struggle for freedom against Indian occupation.
Roy went onto say that the Pulwama attack was a “false flag operation” and the Indian Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat, knew that the attack would occur much earlier in time.
Arundhati Roy stressed that Kashmir has become a flashpoint between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, while needs to become a buffer zone to connect the two countries. Responding to a question on the Pulwama Attack, Roy noted that it was a “massive intelligence failure”, an issue that was also highlighted by the Governor of Kashmir.
Roy went onto say that the Pulwama attack was a “false flag operation” and the Indian Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat, knew that the attack would occur much earlier in time. She explained the situation in Kashmir with regards to Indian allegations on the Kashmiri struggle for freedom, “The situation in Kashmir is that there are real terror groups, there are fake terror groups, and there are penetrator terror groups. There was a massive intelligence failure, of which even the governor of Kashmir spoke about. And then suddenly everyone went quiet.”
Read more: Indian aggression at LoC: Two soldiers, two civilians martyred
Roy raised some extremely important questions about the Pulwama attack and Indian involvement. She observed, “Modi started campaigning using the pictures of the dead security forces, which was so terrible. And there’s absolutely no talk about the intelligence failure. How could it happen? How could so much RDX be smuggled in when people are just–people are stopped and checked while they’re going to buy milk? How did this happen? The convoy–the route of the convoy is always protected.”