Islamabad has blinked first in the starting battle along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border in the middle of India and Pakistan. Under continuous pressure from India, Pakistan has offered to reduce tensions along the LoC. The Pakistani military made the proposal to India “through the institutionalized military channels of communication between the two sides,” as per to a senior official in the Indian security establishment.
The Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two nations are frequently in touch and HT learns that the proposal may possibly have arisen for the period of such an interaction.
Pakistan has proposed to eliminate its Special Service Group (SSG) which is the special forces of Pakistan, from the LoC and also even recommended a “moratorium on the artillery fire from both sides,” as per to the report sent to the Prime Minister’s Office.
After the Pulwama terror attack which was held by a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist on February 14, left 40 troopers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) dead, this then further led to the following air strikes by the Indian Air Force on one of the major Jaish’s training camps at Balakot in Pakistan, Islamabad stimulated special forces and troops along the LoC and the border and “maintained a precautionary deployment”.
The pressure on Pakistan by India was not just along the border, but it was political as well. With the US, UK, and France supporting India, China settled to eliminate its alleged “technical hold” on announcing Maulana Masood Azhar, the ruler of JeM, an international terrorist by the United Nations Security Council. At the same time, India is also pushing the Financial Action Taskforce (FATF) which is a worldwide body that lookouts money laundering and terror funding, to banned Pakistan.
In the recent report, the Indian Army has said that there have been “no infiltration attempts,” as well as “no attempt to (carry out) cross border tactical action since the Pulwama terror attack.” Remarkably, terror launch pads along the LoC, from which terrorists gain access to India, are empty. As per to the Indian Army report which further added, “Terror infrastructure in close vicinity of the LoC has been temporarily closed due to overall pressure being maintained on Pakistan.”
A senior defence ministry official at the thinning out of terror launch pads report said, “from active areas like Poonch and Rajouri as well. These are clear on-ground signals from Pakistan for de-escalation.” Recently, when formations along the LoC also repaired bunkers –an annual feature to prepare for the monsoons– the “Pakistan army didn’t interfere.”
The government had also advised the Indian Army and particularly the Corps Commanders to take “adequate precautions” in order to stop cross-border raids held by the Pakistani army after the Pulwama suicide attack. The official said, “There were over 100 instances when artillery was used,” the official further added that “the use of artillery has considerably reduced now.”
“In the initial days, several Pakistan Army positions were destroyed, and we have not allowed them to rebuild or these positions,” a second senior official in the ministry of defense said.
