Ceasefire violation: Unprovoked Indian firing near Kotli

ISLAMABAD:

For the second time in less than a week, Indian troops on Monday resorted to ‘unprovoked firing’ from across the Line of Control (LoC) which divides the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indian forces, according to military sources, used heavy weapons targeting the Pakistani posts in Kot Kotera sub sector near Kotli along the de facto border.

The ‘indiscriminate’ firing prompted the Pakistani forces to respond. However, no loss has been reported from either side.

This was the second incident of ceasefire violation in less than a week as Pakistani and Indian armies exchanged fire in Poonch Sector along the LoC.

It is not clear what prompted the latest ceasefire violation as there had been calm for almost four months along the temporary border that divides Kashmir.

Tensions between the two neighbours flared up in August last year when the two sides accused each other of violating the ceasefire in the disputed region.

The clashes have left a number of soldiers and civilians dead on both sides.

However, the Director General Military Operations (DGMO) from the two sides held rare face-to-face talks in Wagah near Amritsar in last December and agreed to uphold the ceasefire agreement.

The two sides decided to strengthen the existing border mechanisms and hold flag meetings between brigade commanders along the LoC in Poonch and Uri sectors so as to defuse situation whenever there is escalation between the two sides in future.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2014.