​New Delhi:

Pakistani troops have fired upon Indian soldiers and border posts on over a dozen occasions since February 2021, when the two countries agreed to abide by the 2003 ceasefire agreement, people in the security establishment said.

The latest incident took place on Tuesday in the Arnia sector in Jammu, when Pak Rangers opened fire on Border Security Force (BSF) men, injuring two jawans. The border guarding force retaliated with heavy firing.

“The ceasefire violation on Tuesday in Arnia is another example that Pakistan army doesn’t want the border to remain peaceful,” said a security official, who didn’t want to be named.

“Whenever they fire upon us, they make excuses that their personnel had nothing to do with it,” he added. “But it has been noticed in the past that Pak Rangers usually fire on the Indian side either to divert attention from some major infiltration being planned or when major political developments have taken place on either side.”

Pakistan indulged in unprovoked firing from across the border at least six times in 2022 and four times this year till date, according to BSF data accessed by HT. In 2021, 72 such cross-border firing incidents were recorded at the international border and the Line of Control (LoC), but most were before the two sides agreed to the ceasefire.

The decision to recommit to the 2003 ceasefire agreement was taken after a meeting between the directors general of military operations of India and Pakistan on February 24-25, 2021.

Prior to that, incidents of cross-border firing on patrolling troops, villagers, Indian army and BSF forward posts were recorded every year in the thousands. There were close to 5,133 incidents of ceasefire violations in 2020, the highest since 2003, while 3,479 violations were logged in 2019, when Indian government removed Article 370 from the Constitution, and 2,140 in 2018. Article 370 gave special status to erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state, which was bifurcated into two union territories – J&K and Ladakh – on August 5, 2019, by the Centre.

Tuesday’s incident has not worsened tensions at the border, but the BSF and army have been asked to keep increased vigil.

“Pakistan continues to maintain terrorist infrastructure, including terrorists’ launch pads and training camps, across the border, besides a network of narcotics suppliers, who use cross-border smugglers and drones to send contraband to India,” a second officer said, declining to be named.

The Indian government has maintained that New Delhi desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan and is committed to addressing issues, if any, bilaterally and peacefully in an atmosphere free of terror, hostility and violence. The onus is on Pakistan to create such a conducive atmosphere by taking credible, verifiable and irreversible action to not allow any territory under its control to be used for cross-border terrorism against India in any manner, the government has said in Parliament.

India and Pakistan share a 3,323 km border, of which 221 km of international border and 740 km of LoC is in Jammu and Kashmir.