NEW DELHI, Oct 26:
The top commander of Pakistan’s border guarding force today called up the BSF chief to urge Indian troops to stop their retaliatory firing over escalated ceasefire violations by the neighbouring country following which both sides agreed to halt the exchanges.
Amidst a spurt in ceasefire violations along the Indo- Pakistan International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir, the chief of Pakistan Rangers called up BSF DG DK Pathak urging the Indian side to stop its retaliatory firing.
Sources said that Rangers Director General Maj. Gen. Umar Farooq Burki told the BSF chief that they have suffered “very heavy” damage because of the BSF response and urged the border guarding force to stop its firing.
The Border Security Force (BSF) DG told his counterpart that there will be no retaliation if Pakistan does not initiate the firing, they added.
The Rangers DG, sources said, rang his BSF counterpart this afternoon on the newly-operationalised hotline between the two sides and urged Pathak to ensure tranquillity and stop firing on the border.
There have been repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops since October 23.
“Both sides agreed to stop the firing, but BSF made it clear that they will retaliate if provoked,” they said.
The Indo-Pakistan IB in Jammu and Kashmir was peaceful since the Rangers and BSF held a DG-level conference last month in the national capital recently in September, but fresh violations by the other side began last week.(PTI)