Prompt action on border pushes Pak to offer olive branch, says both sides need to 'formalise' 2003 ceasefire

New Delhi: After facing a barrage of gunfire from the Indian troops in a tit-for-tat response on the border, Pakistan on Monday offered an olive branch to India as it sought to take “shelter” in a 2003 ceasefire agreement between the two sides.

Pakistan's Ambassador to India Abdul Basit on Monday stressed on “restrain” between the two armies at the border.

“I think the two countries need to agree to formalise the 2003 ceasefire agreement,” Basit said in an apparent bid to cool down the temperatures at the border.

“We need to move from symbolism to substance and from conflict management to conflict resolution,” the Pakistan envoy said.

To de-escalate tensions between the two sides in the aftermath of Uri and other developments, Basit said that Islamabad didn't even know what was happening when Uri happened.

“When Uri attack was underway, Pakistan was being blamed, this when we did not even know what was happening,” ANI quoted Basit as saying.

Referring to the issue of Kashmir unrest, he said, “To claim that those who attended Burhan Wani's funeral were instigated by Pakistan is wrong.”