Defence Minister AK Antony to make statement in Parliament on ceasefire violations

New Delhi: Defence Minister AK Antony is scheduled to make a statement in Parliament today on the continued ceasefire violations along the Line of Control or LoC.

The government has been under pressure from the Opposition over the rising violence at the LoC.

There have been 70 ceasefire violations by the Pakistani troops this year from January 1 to August 5, which is 85 per cent more than the last year during the same corresponding period, Army officials said.

The country has lost more soldiers as against last year and many civilians have been injured on either side of the border in firing.

Apart from artillery, both India and Pakistan have been using heavy weapons including mortars.

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The fierce exchanges in recent weeks have cast a shadow on the prospect of the 2003 Indo-Pak border truce. India and Pakistan entered into the border ceasefire as a confidence building measure during the NDA rule and it will complete one decade on November 26, 2013.

The ceasefire violations have been reported on daily basis for past 10 days without a break, forcing Indian troops to retaliate.

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In the latest incident, Pakistani troops fired at the Indian posts in the Mendhar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. Automatic weapons and mortars were used in the firing.

Amid the heightened tension along the LoC, the Army has said it has inputs that Pakistan is trying to engineer more Border Action Team (BAT) attacks.

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Analysts say the BAT comprises of members of Pakistan's commando Special Services Group and terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, for the brutal killing of its two soldiers in January and the killing of five jawans along the LoC in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir, on August 6.