India, Pakistan to hold flag meeting today to reduce tensions along border

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Aug 27, 2014: India and Pakistan will hold a flag meeting at field levels on Wednesday to address the issue of ceasefire violation on the LoC and International Border at Jammu. The two countries agreed to hold flag meetings to defuse the situation.

Pakistan Rangers has requested the BSF to hold a company commander level flag meeting in Pargwal area of Akhnoor sector in Jammu at 2 pm on Wednesday. But no flag meeting request has come from the area opposite to RS Pura and Arnia sectors, worst affected areas in firing and shelling.

Earlier, India on Tuesday lodged a protest with Pakistan over escalating border ceasefire violations in the "heaviest" cross-border firing since the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

The protest was lodged during the telephonic talks between the DGMOs (Director General Military Operations) of the two countries, Army sources said in Delhi, adding it was held around 1200 hours for about 10 minutes during which "all relevant issues" were raised,

During the talks, the Indian side is understood to have raised the issue of increasing ceasefire violations and lodged a protest over the issue, the sources said.

There have been 95 ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) and it has also breached the ceasefire pact 25 times on the International Border (IB).

"The two sides have agreed to hold flag meetings at field levels by both Army and BSF to defuse the situation," the sources said.

The DGMOs -- Lt Gen PR Kumar from India and Major General Amir Riaz from Pakistan -- discussed the border situation during their talks on hotline which takes place every Tuesday.

The DGMOs hold talks every week during which they discuss issues related to the LoC and other areas.

The BSF said the firing by Pakistani forces in the last 45 days was possibly the "heaviest" since the 1971 war.

"Yes it is (the heaviest firing) for last so many years--I think may be after the 1971 war. 45 days is a very long period for this kind of thing to happen", BSF Director General DK Pathak told reporters in Jammu.

 

Courtesy:Indiatoday