Situation at LoC 'relatively peaceful' after ceasefire agreement: Pakistan Army

Islamabad: The Pakistan Army on Tuesday said the situation at the Line of Control (LoC) has remained "relatively peaceful" after the ceasefire agreement with India was restored in 2021.

In his first press conference since assuming office in December last year, Military Spokesman Major General Ahmed Sharif also talked about the latest threat of terrorism and other important issues facing the cash-strapped country.

"The situation at the LoC has remained relatively peaceful after the 2003 ceasefire agreement (was restored)," he said.

Pakistan had downgraded its diplomatic ties with India and severed trade links following New Delhi's decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019. In February 2021, the two sides restored a ceasefire agreement on the highly volatile LoC.

Maj Gen Sharif also alleged that India committed 56 LoC ceasefire violations in 2023, including three violations of airspace, 22 incidents of speculative firing, six ceasefire violations and 25 technical airspace violations.

The spokesperson also said that the army was prepared to deal with any threat.

He said that after taking office, Army chief General Asim Munir made his first visit to the LoC and sent a clear message that “Pakistan's forces are prepared to defend every corner of the country".

Sharif said that the Pakistan Army was battle-hardened and always led from the front by the officers.

Talking about the threat of terrorism, he said that terrorists had been trying to destroy peace on the western frontiers along Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces but the security forces were foiling their attempts.

"Pakistan's forces have taken appreciable measures, tracked down terrorist networks and we continue to do so,” he said, adding that there was a nexus between the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch militant groups.

Sharing data, he said 436 terrorist attacks took place in the country during the ongoing year, which killed 293 people and injured another 521, while the forces conducted 8,269 intelligence-based operations in the current year and killed or arrested 1,525 terrorists.

"To rid the country of terrorism, more than 70 operations are conducted daily," he said and added that there was no “no-go area” in Pakistan.

The spokesman also said that 137 security personnel had been killed and 117 injured in anti-terror operations this year.

He said that most of the work on the western border management fencing had been completed along a total of 3,141 kilometres of border with Afghanistan and Iran to curtail terrorist activity.

"Under border management, more than 98 per cent of work on the 2,611 km Pak-Afghan border has been completed, while more than 85 per cent of work on the Pak-Iran border has been completed," he said.