According to an estimate, there are thousands of landmines planted by Pakistan in J&K in the 1947, 1965, and 1971 wars. Though the wars are over– the mines or silent killers are still buried under the ground waiting to kill anyone – combat soldiers or civilians – men, women or children who happen to step on them or unknowingly go nearly.
On 8 December 2005, the UN General Assembly declared 4 April each year to be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness.
Ever since time memorial minefields have been considered to be an effective tool to slow down, or restrict enemy movement and deny them certain territory. Minefields are often marked with warning signs to prevent friendly troops and non-combatants from entering them. In some cases, dummy minefields are prominently marked to deter enemy movement.
India is one of the countries in the world that has been affected by landmines.
There are many types of landmines each of which serves a different purpose. Anti-personnel landmines are easy to conceal in the ground and are designed to kill or maim people who step on them. Likewise, the anti-tank landmines can destroy or disable tanks and other armoured vehicles. Significantly, anti-tank mines accounted for almost half of all vehicles disabled during World War II.
India is one of the countries in the world that has been affected by landmines. During the Kargil War, Pakistan extensively used a number of anti-personnel mines and anti-tank mines along the Line of Control (LoC). That’s not all, there have been many occasions when Pakistan has used landmines, which have resulted in several casualties in Punjab and Siachen.
According to the Landmine Monitor Report Pakistani troops and armed mujaheddin fighters extensively used antipersonnel mines in Kargil. The label on the crates of antipersonnel mines captured by the Indian armed forces clearly showed that the mines were made in Pakistan Ordnance Factories. Based on this evidence the USA, the UK, Russia, and Japan publicly criticized Pakistan for using landmines against India in the Kargil war. Even the United Nations condemned the use of landmines which is considered to be a violation of international humanitarian law and can cause severe harm to civilian populations even after the conflict has ended.
Many Indian and Pakistani soldiers lost their limbs or lives due to these landmines. These incidents caused significant casualties among Indian troops as well as civilian populations living along the border and are a clear-cut violation of the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use of landmines. Both India and Pakistan are signatories to the Ottawa Convention also known as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, which prohibits the use, production, and stockpiling of landmines. This was also a violation of Pakistan’s domestic law and export control procedures.
Pakistan holds around six million antipersonnel mines in its arsenal – the fifth largest in the world.
According to intelligence reports state-owned Pakistani Ordnance Factories produce six types of antipersonnel mines – two low metal content blast mines (P2 Mk2 and P4 Mk2), two bounding fragmentation mines (P3 Mk2 and P7 Mk2), and two directional fragmentation/Claymore-type mines (P5 Mk1 and P5 Mk2) and a remotely delivered antipersonnel mine system. In addition to this Pakistan produces several types of anti-vehicle mines.
Pakistan holds around six million antipersonnel mines in its arsenal – the fifth largest in the world.
Pakistani army extensively used landmines in all three wars in 1947, 1965, and 1971 against India and also laid antipersonnel mines both along the International Border (IB) and the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). Even today there are several permanently laid minefields along the LOC.
There is an ongoing debate about the use of landmines. Landmines, booby traps and other explosive remnants of war were supposed to diminish the morale of the enemy without the need to fight them face to face but the real tragedy is that landmines are proving to be counter-productive and are causing death and destruction to soldiers and civilians long after conflicts have ended.
In one such incident, Lance Naik Anshul Rawat an Indian Army soldier was injured in a landmine explosion while patrolling a forward area in the Kerni sector. He had to be immediately airlifted to the Command Hospital in Udhampur for specialised treatment.
Similarly, two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel patrolling the international border area in Punjab accidentally stepped on a landmine which exploded. They were however lucky to survive some injuries in the landmine blast.
Sushma a 14-year-old girl from Mirjewala village, in Sri Ganganagar District of Rajasthan, saw a small box floating in a distributary of the Indira Gandhi Canal. She mistook it to be a telephone and out of curiosity started playing it. Suddenly there was a big explosion and her body was blown to bits.
According to an estimate, there are thousands of landmines planted by Pakistan in J&K in the 1947, 1965, and 1971 wars.
In yet another case of a landmine explosion, at least three policemen patrolling an area were killed and several others injured in Odisha when their vehicle accidentally trod on a landmine planted by Maoist insurgents in 2021. The incident highlights the threat of landmines in India, particularly in insurgency-affected areas.
Landmine explosions have caused many deaths and injuries both among security force personnel and civilians in Jammu, and Kashmir over the past few decades. According to an estimate, there are thousands of landmines planted by Pakistan in J&K in the 1947, 1965, and 1971 wars. Though the wars are over– the mines or silent killers are still buried under the ground waiting to kill anyone – combat soldiers or civilians – men, women or children who happen to step on them or unknowingly go nearly.
This is something that Nishant Singh an Indian Army soldier discovered the hard way in 2016 when he lost his right leg in a landmine blast in Jammu and Kashmir. He was part of a patrolling team when he stepped on a landmine, which exploded, causing him to lose his leg.
Four Indian Army soldiers were killed and four others were injured in a landmine blast in Jammu and Kashmir in the Keran sector along the Line of Control (LoC). Subsequent investigations revealed that the incident was planned and carried out by the militants with the help of directions and logistical support from across the border
In March 2019, two Indian soldiers were killed and several others were injured when an Indian Army vehicle passed over an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Pulwama district. Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.
During the height of the insurgency in Punjab in the 1980s and early 1990s, landmines were extensively used by militants to target security forces. According to some estimates, more than 1,500 security personnel were killed or injured in landmine blasts. A landmine blast engineered by militants near Batala in Punjab killed 13 policemen and injured several others.
Landmines and explosive remnants of war are serious problems in India, even in other areas affected by internal conflicts and insurgencies.
In yet another incident, a landmine blast triggered and executed by the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) in the Gurdaspur district injured two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel in March 2016.
Landmines have been extensively used by various militant groups in the Northeast, particularly in Manipur and Nagaland. According to official data, brutal landmine blasts triggered by insurgent groups have killed or injured more than 2,500 people – both security force personnel and civilians in North East India since the 1980s.
A landmine planted by militants in Manipur killed an Indian Army colonel and injured several others in 2020. In another landmine blast, eight Assam Rifles personnel were killed and six others were injured in Manipur. It was one of the deadliest landmine attacks in the region in recent years.
A powerful IED blast carried out by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) killed three Assam Rifles personnel and injured four others in the Chandel district of Manipur.
In another incident, a landmine blast in Nagaland left six Assam Rifles personnel dead and injured four others. Another such landmine blast engineered by the separatist groups killed six Indian Army soldiers and injured several others in the Tinsukia district of Assam.
Landmines and explosive remnants of war are serious problems in India, even in other areas affected by internal conflicts and insurgencies.
The tragedy is that landmines remain active for many years after they have been laid, and can be triggered accidentally, killing or injuring civilians and animals.
• Ganesh Ram, a resident of Jharkhand, unknowingly stepped on a landmine and lost his right leg in a landmine blast in 2014. He received medical treatment and rehabilitation at a hospital in Ranchi and was later fitted with a prosthetic leg.
• Kasturi, a 50-year-old woman from Jharkhand, lost both her legs in a landmine blast in 2012. She was walking through a forest when she stepped on a landmine, which exploded, causing her to lose both her legs. She was taken to a hospital in Ranchi, where she received medical treatment and rehabilitation.
• Ram Kumar, a resident of Chhattisgarh, lost his left leg in a landmine blast in 2011. He too uses a prosthetic leg to move around.
• Sunil Kumar, a resident of Bihar, stepped on a landmine while walking through the forest and lost his left leg in a landmine blast in 2010
The tragedy is that landmines remain active for many years after they have been laid, and can be triggered accidentally, killing or injuring civilians and animals. This is because landmines once activated do not differentiate between friends or foes before causing death or disability.
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