Top military commanders of India and Pakistan today agreed not to allow escalation of tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) with the Pakistan Army asking its troops to observe ceasefire strictly and exercise restraint.
The ways to defuse the tension on the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, which was triggerred by the brutal killing of two Indian soldiers by the Pakistan Army, were discussed during a telephonic conversation between the Director Generals of
Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two sides today.
Pakistan DGMo confirmed to his Indian counterpart today that orders have been passed onto his troops to observe ceasefire strictly and exercise restraint. The DGMOs of both the countries held talks today over the recent LoC firing where two Indian soldiers lost their lives.
Meanwhile, in Islamabad, the state-run Pakistan Radio claimed the country’s DGMO lodged a strong protest with his
Indian counterpart over killing of a Pakistani soldier.
Indo-Pak border. Agency
Earlier in the day, Army chief Gen Bikram Singh rejected
Pakistani allegations that Indian troops had crossed the LoC and indulged in unprovoked firing, saying any casualty on the other side may have been due to retaliatory firing. “Our jawans don’t cross LoC. We honour human rights. We fire in retaliation when provoked,” he said in Khairiar in Uttar Pradesh after meeting the family of Lance Naik Hemraj who was beheaded by Pakistani soldiers in a cross-LoC attack
in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir on January 8.
The situation along the India-Pakistan border continued to remain tense after India reported five ceasefire violations even after the flag meet. Indian troops, however, did not retaliate and officers say that they will not react in haste but will take their time. But, the Pakistani army claimed that Indian troops killed a Pakistani soldier in the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Firing from the Pakistani side allegedly was for a brief period with small fire arms and mortal shells. This came hours after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh talked tough and warned Pakistan on Tuesday evening. The Prime Minister said that it ‘cannot be business as usual’ after last week’s ‘barbaric’ beheading of an Indian soldier by the Pakistani Army.
Earlier today, Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar accused India of engaging in “war-mongering” in the aftermath of clashes and killing of two Indian soldiers at the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. Khar also said Pakistan is “deeply disappointed” to hear statements from India that are “upping the ante” and claimed her government is creating a “precedence” of not following war-mongering.
