Pakistan, India Militaries To Discuss LoC Ceasefire Mechanism

Islamabad, Dec 19, IRNA -- Pakistan and Indian military officials are scheduled to meet next week to explore ways to ensure a ceasefire along the Line of Control, which divides the two countries in the disputed Kashmir region, the Foreign Ministry has said. Pakistan and India routinely accuse each other of launching deadly attacks on the other side and violating the 2003 ceasefire along the LoC. Guns had been relatively silent along the LoC since the ceasefire however, the recent escalation along the LoC have once again cast doubt over the fragile ceasefire and the bilateral composite dialogue process. Prime Ministers of the two countries met in New York in September and had decided to ask their military officials to meet and discuss implementation of the ceasefire agreement. “The Director General for Military Operations of Pakistan has invited his Indian counterpart for a meeting to strengthen the mechanisms to ensure ceasefire on the Line of Control. The meeting will take place on 24 December, 2013,” the Foreign Ministry said. It would be the first face-to-face meeting of the senior military officials during the recent tensions. The meeting has raised hopes for de-escalations along the LoC. The decision came just hours after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif presided over a high level meeting of the top military leaders and key ministers and discussed security issues including the situation along the LoC. The Director General for Military Operations also attended the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on National Security and briefed the participants on the situation along the LoC./end