Question : FIRING ALONG BORDER .

(a) whether there are reports of frequent ceasefire violations along the Indo-Pak Border by Pakistan who resorted to heavy firing from across the border;

(b) if so, the details of such cases reported and the number of civilians and security personnel injured and killed during the current year;

(c) whether the residents of the affected villages along the said border were evacuated to safer places and provided with other kind of relief;

(d) if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the measures taken by the Government to resolve the issue including raising the matter at bilateral and international levels?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI MULLAPPALLY RAMACHANDRAN)

(a): The last instance of trans-border firing on Indo-Pakistan border occurred on 3rd November, 2013. Thereafter, no incident of trans-border firing has occurred.

(b): 149 cases of trans-border firing along Indo-Pakistan Border have been reported by the Border Security Force (BSF) during the year 2013. During the current year, 12 security forces personnel were killed and 24 personnel were injured in border firing. The information on the number of civilians injured and killed in trans-border firing during the current year is being collected.

(c) & (d): Information is being collected and will be placed on the table of the House.

(e): Instances of ceasefire violation along the Line of Control and International Boundary in Jammu and Kashmir have been taken up through the mechanism of the Director General of Military Operatons (DGMO) level hotline. Government has also repeatedly called upon Pakistan to uphold the sanctity of the Line of Control and abide by its 2003 ceasefire commitment, including the talks between the Prime Minister of India and Prime Minister of Pakistan on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on 29th September, 2013.