Pakistan has made 1,129 ceasefire violations since 2013, killing 16 soldiers, says Parrikar

New Delhi: Pakistan Army has made 1,129 ceasefire violations at the border since 2013 which has claimed the lives of 16 Army personnel, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said. [caption id=“attachment_2353260” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Firstpost[/caption] In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, he said that all violations of ceasefire are taken up with Pakistani military authorities at the appropriate level through established mechanism of hotlines, flag meetings as well as weekly talks between the Directorate Generals of Military Operations of the two countries. As per the figures given by him, there were 347 ceasefire violations in 2013, which increased to 583 in 2014. This year till 30 June, there has been 199 ceasefire violations. While 10 Army personnel lost their lives in 2013, four of them besides 13 civilians were killed in 2014. This year, till 30 June, two Army personnel and two civilians have been killed. “Diplomatically, India has repeatedly emphasised, including at the highest level, the need for Pakistan to uphold the sanctity of the Line of Control (LC) and abide by the ceasefire commitment of 2003 along the International Border and LC,” Parrikar said. PTI