LOC: Line of Carnage

News Kashmir Exclusive

 

The tense situation on India- Pakistan borders is giving much cause to worry as situation on borders and line of control continues to remain grim. Borders and line of control between India and Pakistan have been volatile since long affecting adversely thousands of inhabitants in both the countries . Almost now on daily basis the innocent civilians have to pay heavy price of belligerent attitude of both countries as death count and injuries of civilians are high from both sides. The soldiers also lose their  precious lives due to these violent skirmishes on borders.

Due to continuous border shelling and firing traded by armies of two countries several heartrending incidents have occurred this year alone. On March 18, five members of a family were killed and two others injured when a mortar shell fired from across the LoC by Pakistan army hit a residential house in Balakote sector of Poonch district.  An army  porter was killed on 16 April  in cross-border shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Khursheed Ahmad (37) son of Mohammad Shareif of Nawa Runda who was working as a porter with army 4 madras unit, received a bullet injury in the neck and some grenade splinters in both legs near Chaukas fired by the Pakistani army.

In the just recent days, Five civilians were killed and nine others injured today in heavy mortar shelling and firing by Pakistani troops at Indian villages and border outposts along the International Border in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts. For over a week, there has been continuous firing and shelling by Pakistani Rangers along the International Border and Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

Few months back Chief Miister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti had reminded Pakistan about the promise its former president Pervez Musharraf had made to former prime minister AB Vajpayee to maintain peace along the borders and sought its help in ending the bloodshed in the state.

 

She had also appealed to India to give up confrontation with Pakistan, saying it was the people of the state who were suffering due to the animosity between the two nations.

 

“We have to restart the reconciliation process with Pakistan and you (India) have a bigger role in the process in Jammu and Kashmir,”  Mehbooba Mufti had stated .

Mir Imran, Human Rights Defender, while talking to the News Kashmir  stated – “ The heartrending incidents occurring daily on borders and at line of control resulting in loss of precious human lives should end. Both India and Pakistan should address their burning issues via dialogue and for the sake of innocently civilians on both sides obey the border ceasefire. Escalation, violence and bloodshed will destroy both countries. War is not solution but talks and dialogue is the only way ahead.”

Undoubtedly, the increasing hostility at borders of India and Pakistan is in no way going to benefit anyone but only create havoc .