Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 14: The International Border (IB) remained calm for third consecutive day today while there was no shelling or firing on the Line of Control (LoC) during the day today even as top military officials of India and Pakistan spoke on hotline over the situation on LoC and IB in which India lodged protest over continued ceasefire violations by Pakistan Army and Rangers.
Official sources said there was no report of any shelling or firing on the IB for third consecutive day today.
“The entire 198 kilometers IB from Kathua to Akhnoor was peaceful,’’ official sources said.
On the LoC also, no firing was traded today. Shelling in Balakote sector of Poonch had ceased at 2.30 am in wee hours of today and since then the LoC was also calm in Poonch sector even though the troops were maintaining high alert.
Meanwhile, amid continuing ceasefire violations by Pakistan Army, top military officials of India and Pakistan today discussed over the hotline the situation along the Line of Control and International Border.
The discussion over the hotline was held by the officials of the Directorate General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan, sources said.
The Indian side is understood to have registered its protest with their Pakistan counterparts over the series of ceasefire violations carried out by the neighbouring country’s troops in the last fortnight from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir.
India has alleged that Pakistan has been the aggressor in the recent spate of ceasefire violations and India will make the cost of its adventurism “unaffordable”.
Every Tuesday, the DGMOs of India and Pakistan talk to each other to take up the issues faced by the two sides along the border.
Meanwhile, Pakistani military officials in Islamabad said about the talks that they have conveyed their concerns to India over the “unprovoked firing” along the LoC and IB.
In 2013, the Pakistani and Indian DGMOs had met and promised to uphold the 2003 LoC ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, sources said that around 33,000 people, affected by the cross border firing along the International Border in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts, continued to stay in the relief camps as they were reluctant to return homes fearing that Pakistan could resume shelling and firing anytime. However, they were visiting their houses in the morning, feeding cattle and returning to the relief camps in the evening.
The people had migrated from border villages of Hiranagar, Samba, Ramgarh, Arnia, RS Pura, Pargwal and Kanachak after heavy shelling and firing from the Pakistan side in which seven civilians were killed in Arnia and Samba sectors and scores of others were injured. Several cattle have also perished in the firing.
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