India told of movement of census teams along LoC

Pakistan Army informed Indian ground troops through hotline

ISLAMABAD: Their current tensions aside, Pakistan approached India on Tuesday to inform it about the movement of civil and military enumerators to civil populated areas lying close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Indian ground troops were informed through hotline contact by the Pakistan Army as part of confidence building measures and afford requisite forewarning, said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The move is aimed at ensuring safety and security of civil and military personnel wake of unprovoked targeting and persistent ceasefire violations by Indian army.



It is not clear if the Indian army has given any assurance in this regard but the development suggested that the two armies are willing to remain in contact even the worst phase of the ties between the two countries.

The second phase of census, which began on Tuesday, also includes areas located close to the de facto border that divides Kashmir between Pakistan and India.

The hotline contact that aimed at restoring the ceasefire is significant given the current strains in ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Tensions have been simmering between the two countries since September last year when Indian military base in Uri was attacked by militants leaving at least 19 soldiers dead. India blamed the Pakistan based groups for the attack, a charge strongly rebutted by Islamabad.

Their ties have taken the turn for the worst earlier this month when Pakistan handed down a death sentence to Kulbhushan Jadhav, Indian Navy officer turned RAW agent for espionage and sponsoring terrorist attacks in Pakistan.



India, though admitted that Jadhav was a Navy officer, denied he was working for RAW. New Delhi also insisted that Jadhav was kidnapped from neighbouring Iran and then transported to Pakistan.

Despite Indian denials, the role of Jadhav is also being questioned by critics in India. Recently, renowned journalists Karan Thapar wrote an article raising a series of questions including the two passports carried by Jadhav.

Thapar also referred to the reports appeared in the Indian media suggesting that Jadhav had indeed approached the RAW for the job.