Hardened stance: Pakistan rebuts Indian army chief’s charges

ISPR says Islamabad was respecting ceasefire along LoC.

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Army on Monday termed the set of allegations levelled by the Indian army chief as baseless and contrary to facts on the ground, reiterating that Islamabad was respecting the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC).

In a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military spokesperson said that the allegations were contrary to the facts on ground and that the Pakistan Army respects the ceasefire agreement.

The spokesperson further said that the situation along LoC had improved after the recent meeting of the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of Pakistan and India met in late December.

While addressing media ahead of Army day, Indian Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh issued a stern warning to Pakistan in the aftermath of the beheading of two Indian Army soldiers in Mendhar Sector in Jammu & Kashmir’s Poonch district last January.



Sending a strong message to Islamabad, India’s top commander said, “I had instructed local commanders to retaliate strongly after the beheading.” “However, we will uphold the ceasefire, but we will not be passive if provoked from across the border,” he added.

According to Indian claims, Pakistani soldiers crossed into its territory and launched an attack on an Indian patrol, killing two soldiers – one of whom they claim was beheaded during the skirmish last year, that sparked a tit-for-tat reaction between the two countries.

General Singh further said, “If rules are followed by our neighbours, we follow them too. If rules are broken, we won’t sit on it, we will break them too.” “When a ceasefire violation takes place along the LoC, it is a minor war over there,” he added.

Commenting on the meeting between the DGMOs, he admitted that the frequency of ceasefire violations have decreased ever since the officials met in December last year.

“Ceasefire violations have continued. However, since the agreement there has been a reduction in the ceasefire violations,” said General Singh.

The Indian army chief’s comments come at a time when strong diplomatic efforts are being made to resolve longstanding issues between the two rivals.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2014.