Flag meeting: India tells Pakistan to stop cross-border terrorism

Jammu: Senior Army commanders of India and Pakistan on Wednesday held a flag meeting on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

The meeting was held at Chakan Da Bagh in Poonch sector.

At the meeting of Battalion Commander-level officers, the Indian side highlighted "abetment and support of the Pakistan Army to cross-border terrorism, sniping actions on the LoC and deliberate targeting of civil population during ceasefire violations," a defence ministry spokesman said.

The two sides agreed to keep the channels of communication open between local commanders at the LoC, he added.

"The meeting lasted for 50 minutes in a cordial atmosphere," he said.

He said that both sides mutually agreed to the importance of exercising restraint on the LoC and keeping the channels of communication open between local commanders.

Both sides also agreed for necessity to institute mechanisms to ensure durable peace and tranquility along the LoC, the spokesman further said.

Resumption of trade and transit through Chakan-Da-Bagh was also discussed during the flag meeting, he said, as per PTI.

On July 17 this year,  India had told Pakistan that it reserved the right to retaliate appropriately against any incident of ceasefire violation along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a telephonic conversation, Lt Gen. AK Bhatt, the director general of military operations (DGMO), had also told his Pakistani counterpart that the Indian Army was sincere about maintaining peace on the LoC.

The DGMO had made it explicitly clear that the Indian Army reserved the right to retaliate but "is sincere in its effort of maintaining peace and tranquillity along the LoC provided there was reciprocity", Army spokesman Col. Aman Anand had said.

The telephone exchange had taken place three hours after the Pakistani Army had fired mortar shells along the LoC in the Poonch and Rajouri districts, killing an Indian Army jawan and a nine-year-old girl.

"The Indian DGMO in response highlighted that all ceasefire violations were initiated by the Pakistan army and the Indian Army only responded appropriately to them," he had further said.

2017 has seen a sharp increase in ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

Till August 01, there were 285 such violations by the Pakistan Army while in 2016, the number was significantly less at 228 for the entire year, according to the Army figures.

Eleven people, including 9 soldiers, were killed and 18 injured in ceasefire violations by Pakistan Army in the month of July, the Army data says.

There were 83 ceasefire violations, one BAT (border action team) attack and two infiltration bids from the Pakistani side in June in which 4 people, including 3 jawans, were killed and 12 injured.

In May, there were 79 ceasefire violations, according to officials. 

(With PTI inputs)