Peace on borders: No casualties reported along LoC, IB in 2023

5 soldiers killed on LoC in 3 yrs; ‘govt committed to zero tolerance policy against terrorism’: MHA

Jammu: The sustained peace along the International Border and Line of Control (LOC) in Jammu and Kashmir, with Pakistan seems to have yielded good dividends as no casualties among security personnel were reported in 2023.
However, five soldiers fell to enemy bullets, including four in 2021 and one in 2022, along the LoC. The significant is that the International Border has remained largely peaceful, with the Border Security Force (BSF) reporting no losses over the past three years.
These figures were disclosed by Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, in response to a question by Congress MP Rahul Kaswan in the Lok Sabha today.
The decline in casualties along the borders is attributed to the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, effective from midnight of February 24/25, 2021, that emphasized “strict adherence to all accords on cease-firing along the LoC and other sectors”.
Responding to a question about eliminating terrorist groups, the Minister reiterated the government’s “zero tolerance policy” against terrorism, including on the Indo-Pak border and the “approach of the Government is to dismantle the terror ecosystem”.
He highlighted ongoing efforts to dismantle the terror ecosystem, including heightened coordination between intelligence and security agencies at both central and state levels.
About the detailed measures to combat terrorism and ensure border security, Rai revealed several measures taken to control the terrorist activities, saying “intelligence and security agencies at the Centre and the state levels have been maintaining close and effective coordination on all terrorism related matters”.
“The government has implemented several measures to combat terrorism along the border. These include strengthening the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) to operate 24/7 for real-time intelligence sharing among state and central agencies, raising specialized state/UT forces to handle terror incidents, deploying Central Armed Police Forces and National Security Guard units to assist in counter-terrorism operations and establishing the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for probing terrorism-related cases,” the Minister said.
About the steps taken to curb infiltration attempts, he said that the border guarding forces have intensified which include round-the-clock surveillance and patrolling, anti-tunneling exercises and manning observation posts and installing border fencing and floodlights for nighttime security”.
He further said, “Vulnerable border outposts are regularly assessed and fortified with advanced surveillance equipment, additional personnel, and other resources. The Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS), a technological solution, has also been deployed in high-risk areas,” he said.