ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846 Skirmishing on the Line of Control PAVAN NAIR Vol. 48, Issue No. 04, 26 Jan, 2013 Pavan Nair (
[email protected]) is a retired member of the armed forces who served in Jammu and Kashmir, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The ceasefire agreed upon by India and Pakistan at the Line of Control in November 2003 was the single biggest confidence building measure between these countries. It would be in the larger national interest of both countries to disengage from a face to face situation on the LoC by resolving issues such as Kashmir, Siachen and the Sir Creek. The 740 kilometer long Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir starts from Grid Point NJ9842 overlooking the Siachen Glacier in the north and crosses several mountain ranges including the Ladakh and Pir Panjal Range and joins the International Boundary (IB) with Pakistan in the plains of Jammu. Over a hundred thousand regular soldiers on each side are involved in manning defences as also handling the logistics involved in supporting operations in mountainous terrain. This is the largest deployment of combatants anywhere in the world. The stretch of the LoC in the Ladakh Sector is unpopulated except in depth areas. However, west of Zojila, several hamlets and villages are scattered all along the line on both sides. The forward troops are deployed in an eyeball to eyeball situation as close as 500 yards, the minimum distance specified in the Karachi Agreement of 1949. The Karachi Agreement, a UN sponsored document, has not been abrogated by either party and remains in force even though the Suchetgarh Agreement (a set of signed maps) came into effect post the 1971 war.