21 Indians Killed In Over 2,000 Ceasefire Violations In Jammu And Kashmir

Tensions between India and Pakistan which have been running high since a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber killed 40 CRPF troopers in February have risen further after New Delhi scrapped the special status for Jammu and Kashmir in August. India said on Sunday it has conveyed to Pakistan its concerns over “unprovoked ceasefire violations” along the Line of Control (LoC) to support the infiltration of terrorists, even as tensions remain high between the two countries over New Delhi’s August move to revoke Jammu & Kashmir’s special status. There have been more than 2,050 unprovoked ceasefire violations this year in which 21 Indians have been killed, external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Pakistan has sought to use the changes in Jammu & Kashmir, described by India as an internal matter, to internationalize the issue. Indian officials have rejected the Pakistani leadership’s contention that the matter could lead to war and accused Pakistan of using the issue to promote jihad and cross-border terrorism. “We have highlighted our concerns at unprovoked ceasefire violations by Pakistan forces, including in support of cross-border terrorist infiltration, and targeting of Indian civilians and border posts by them,”