India has the Sixth largest stock pile of anti-personnel mines in the world

Despite peace process and a cease fire holding along borders, India and Pakistan together are largest producers of land mines in the world stockpiling at least 11 million antipersonnel mines.

The annual Land mine Monitor Report for 2007 has stated that while an estimated four to five million anti personnel mines exist in India (sixth largest stockpile in the world), Pakistan had six million anti personnel mines. (fifth largest total in the world). The report further stated that while both countries have banned export of landmines, their footprints have been found in countries like Afghanistan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Tanzania and Sudan.

The report, which is part of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) a coalition of more than 1,000 organisations working in 72 countries also lamented that there was no progress on the proposal for a joint moratorium between these two countries on the use of antipersonnel mines on their common border. Both countries had been discussing this proposal as part of confidence building measure (CBM).

INDIA: Notwithstanding, the official claim by India that there is no minefield or mined areas in any part of India’s interiors, the report declared that there were mined areas within Kashmir Valley. It said that at least 160 square kilometers land in Jammu region and 1,730 square kilometers land in Kashmir region remained contaminated with mines.

Quoting Speaker of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Tara Chand saying that more than 6,000 families and some 3,500 acres of agriculture land alone in his constituency (Chamb in Jammu region) are mine affected. Citing an example of Warsun village in Kupwara district, the report said despite being 20 kms from the Line of Control (LoC) the village outskirts remain mined since 1990. “The mines have not been cleared despite the villagers’ requests.

Military units stationed in the area have told them that they do not have the maps indicating the locations of the mines,” said the Landmine Monitor. While indicting non-state armed groups for frequently using antipersonnel mines and the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) to target convoys of soldiers, the report said India remained largely contaminated with mines due to mine-laying by government forces.
After the military standoff with Pakistan, India had claimed in February 2005 that it had recovered 99 per cent of the mines laid on and near the borders. Land mine Monitor researchers, however, reported that some sections of the LoC remain heavily mined.

In the Karnah sector of Kupwara district mines were laid through villages cut in half by the LoC. The report also fears that since Uri and Karnah were the heavily mined areas, the 2005 earthquake may have moved them away. Quoting government sources, the report stated that between 1989 and 1999 there were 10,709 causalties in Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh. In the villages of Mendhar region of Poonch district 2000 landmines were recorded. In 2006, the report said at least 524 new causalities were reported where 311 people were killed and 213 injured. In 2007, so far 14 causalities have been reported by the local NGOs.

PAKISTAN: While Pakistan has declared that mines it laid on the Indo- Pak border have been completely cleared, inhabitants of Garhi Sher Khan in Poonch district in POK told Landmine Monitor that villages on both sides of the LoC were heavily mined and further the rainfall has caused explosive remnants of war (ERW) to drift from areas on the Indian side that were on high at titude.

There have been at least 1,144 causalities in Pakistan between 2002 and 2006, with at least 440 killed and 704 injured. Causalties continued in early 2007 mostly reported from military followed by children. North and South Waziristan agencies told the international group that training camps formerly used by mujahideen were still being used by non-state armed groups, and that the area around these camps at Zavar, Ghulam Khel, Mada Khel, Wazir, Shawal, Bermal, Azam, Warsak and Shakai were contaminated with mines.

Land Mine Report 2007 is available here