Arnia episode is the second ceasefire violation by Pak. in 10 days

Pakistan violated ceasefire along India's International Border in Jammu, targeting 6 BSF posts with mortars and machine guns. It is the fifth such incident in 2023, with 72 violations reported in 2020 and 6 in 2022. A flag meeting was held with Pakistan Rangers who denied firing. India is analysing the reasons behind the current flare-up, but the cause remains unclear. Civilian Rajni Devi was injured and houses damaged in the firing. India is trying to ascertain if there is a pattern to the violations.

A day after border areas in Jammu’s Arnia witnessed heavy firing from Pakistan, officials said at least six posts of the Border Security Force (BSF) were targeted with mortars and machine guns.

A senior government official said they were analysing the reasons behind the current flare-up on the International Border (IB) – the second such incident in the past 10 days – but the cause remains inexplicable to them.  

The Pakistan border has largely remained silent since February 25, 2021, when the Directors-General of Military Operations (DGsMO) of India and Pakistan agreed to a “strict observance of all agreements, understandings and ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) and all other sectors.”

Thursday’s is the fifth incident of ceasefire violation reported along the International Border in 2023.

Before India and Pakistan agreed to the re-observance of the 2003 ceasefire agreement in February 2021, as many as 72 incidents of ceasefire violations were reported from the Jammu border, according to data available with The Hindu. In 2020, the number of such violations stood at 450, while in 2022, six such incidents were reported.

A BSF statement said that around 8 p.m. on Thursday, the Pakistan Rangers resorted to unprovoked firing on the International Border in Jammu sector and the BSF retaliated the firing.

It added that around 9.15 p.m., the Pakistan Rangers fired mortar shells targeting the border outposts (BOPs) and civilian areas. Some of the shells landed in Arnia town, resulting in minor injuries to a civilian – Rajni Devi. The third spell of firing started around 10.40 p.m., when the Pakistan Rangers used heavy machine guns to target the BSF posts. The firing resumed around 1 a.m. on Friday and continued till 2.45 a.m. The walls of several houses were damaged in the firing. The immediate trigger for the incident was not known.