India, Pakistan armies holds flag meeting in Kashmir following skirmishes

Source : APA

Baku-APA. The armies of India and Pakistan Monday met for Brigade-level flag meeting following deadly skirmishes on line-of-control (LoC) in Kashmir, officials said.

The meeting between army official from both sides was held at Chakan Da Bagh in Poonch.

"The flag meeting between brigade commanders of India and Pakistan started around 1300 hours (local time) and ended at 1332 hours at Chakan-Da-Bagh point in Poonch," said Col R K Palta.

The Indian team was led by 10th Brigade Commander Brig. T S Sandhu.

Officials said aim of the meeting was to ease tension between two sides and stop ceasefire violations along LoC.

On Sunday evening the two sides exchanged heavy fire and mortar shells in the Krishna Ghati sector of frontier Poonch district, around 180 km southwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

LoC is a de facto border that divides Kashmir into Indian and Pakistani controlled parts.

The two armies have been engaging in deadly skirmishes on LoC since Jan. 6. Since then four troopers of both countries (two from each side) were killed in these skirmishes, thereby heightening tension between the nuclear neighbors.

Both New Delhi and Islamabad accuse each other of resorting to unprovoked firing on LoC and breaching the ceasefire line.

Official sources said both the sides lodged strong protests over the ceasefire violations and killings of troopers.

Following the heightened tension between two countries cross LoC Trade and travel was suspended. The officials posted on LoC from Pakistani-controlled Kashmir side refused to open the gate for goods trucks and bus, officials said.

New Delhi and Islamabad in 2003 agreed to observe a ceasefire along the international border and LoC in Kashmir. Though some violations have been reported on both sides, the ceasefire remains in effect.

The allegations of intrusion on each other have alerted the armies from both sides deputed on LoC. According to defense analysts intrusions by India and Pakistan troopers into each other 's territory was unheard of since late 2003.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from British, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.

Fresh exchange of fire between India, Pakistan armies in Kashmir

Source :  Xinhua | English.news.cn

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The armies of India and Pakistan Sunday exchanged heavy fire and artillery shells once again on line-of-control (LoC) in Indian- controlled Kashmir, officials said.

The ceasefire violation took place Sunday evening along the LoC in Krishna Ghati sector of frontier Poonch district, around 180 km southwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian- controlled Kashmir.

"Pakistani troops this evening again resorted to unprovoked firing using machine guns and mortars on our several posts," said Col. R K Palta, Indian army spokesman based in Jammu. "We also retaliated back."

LoC is a de facto border that divides Kashmir into Indian and Pakistani controlled parts. "We have not suffered any damage due to Pakistani firing today," said Palta.

The ongoing skirmish since last Sunday between Indian and Pakistani troopers on LoC is heightening tension between the two nuclear neighbors. So far four troopers of both countries, two from each side, were killed in these skirmishes on LoC.

Both New Delhi and Islamabad accuse each other of resorting to unprovoked firing on LoC and breaching the ceasefire line. New Delhi and Islamabad in 2003 agreed to observe a ceasefire along the international border and LoC in Kashmir. Though some violations have been reported on both sides, the ceasefire remains in effect.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from British, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.

Pakistan said it wants a third party inquiry into the ceasefire violations on the LoC. Islamabad, according to reports, has already contacted United Nations Military Observer Group in Indian and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) and proposed investigation into ceasefire violations. However, New Delhi has rejected any UN investigation, saying they do not want to internationalize the issue.

An office of UNMOGIP is also in Srinagar. The office was set up in 1949 to monitor the ceasefire line, now known as LoC.

India and Pakistan Square Up Over Kashmir

Source : RIA Novosti

NEW DELHI, January 12 (RIA Novosti) - India and Pakistan are rushing to reinforce their armed forces in the disputed border area of Kashmir, following a spate of clashes between their armies last week across the so-called Line of Control which left several soldiers dead, Indian TV channel Zee News reported.

The Indian military have deployed unmanned air vehicles (UAV) in the area, the channel says. Indian military sources claim the Pakistan Army opened fire on eight of its posts along the Line on Friday. Pakistan has also closed all border trading posts in the area.

Indian daily The Hindu says the latest incidents may be the result of an incident last fall in which a villager crossed the Line of Control from Indian- to Pakistan- controlled territory, prompting India to beef up its border fortifications. That prompted Pakistani calls to stop, which escalated to firing. Until last week, the two sides had maintained a nine-year ceasefire in the tense region.

The latest fighting in the area began on January 6, when a Pakistani soldier was killed by Indian forces, India's Daily News and Analysis said. Another incident took place on January 8, when India claimed two of its soldiers were killed and one of them beheaded in an attack on an outpost by Pakistan. Delhi lodged a formal protest with Islamabad over the incident.

Pakistan denied any involvment in the incident and accused India of an attack on one of its frontier posts on January 10 in which another Pakistani soldier was killed. India rejected a call by Pakistan for an independent UN investigation into the incident. India called for a meeting with the Pakistani military on the frontier to resolve the situation, which was declined, according to Zee News.

The Indian Prime Ministerial security adviser, Shiv Shankar Menon, said on January 10 that the number of incidents along the Line of Control has risen drastically in the last two years, but added this would not cause India to break off dialog with Pakistan.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hinna Rabanni Khar said last Thursday the incidents should not be allowed to interfere with the broader rapprochement between the two nations.

“The Pakistan government and the Pakistani people have demonstrated a deep and abiding commitment to normalize and improve relations with India and to really start a journey of trust-building," she said.

The Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir has been the scene of an on-going insurgency since 1989, with separatists from the majority-Muslim population demanding autonomy from India. Armed separatist groups remain active in the region including Laskhar-I-Taiba and Harakat-ul-Jihad-al Islamiya.

India maintains a garrison with an estimated size of almost half a million soldiers in the area, making it one of the most heavily-militarized regions on earth. Pakistan also has sizeable forces in the region.

India accuses Pakistan of sponsoring the insurgent groups in the region and assisting them with funding and training, while Islamabad maintains they are independent and are a response to Indian occupation.

Kashmir ended up divided after Pakistan and India fought for it after gaining independence from Britain in 1947. Pakistan occupies 33,000 square miles of the region and India around 39,000 square miles, as a result of the war the two sides fought over the region in 1947-49, with the Line of Control as the de facto border. The two nations went to war over the area again in 1965 and 1971 and came close to war again in 1991.

India and Pakistan borders in Kashmir tense after skirmishes

Source :Pakistan News

ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI - Pakistan Friday lodged a strong protest with India over border skirmishes as New Delhi put its border troops on alert following continuous ceasefire violations blamed by the nuclear-powered neighbours on each other.

Pakistani Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani summoned India's high commissioner Sharat Sabharwal and asked that the Indian government thoroughly investigate "repeated violations of the ceasefire" along the de facto border.

The Line of Control a ceasefire line that divides disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir between the two neighbours remained tense following repeated incidents of cross border shelling and border conflict that led to the killing of two Indian soldiers earlier this week.

There were three separate clashes along the de facto border this week, with the latest incident taking place Thursday.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after Jan 6 when a Pakistani soldier was killed allegedly by Indian troops.

Two days later, two Indian soldiers were killed and beheaded near the LoC. Indian officials blamed Pakistani troops for the horror.

An Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin told reporters in New Delhi Friday that Indian troops in the Mendhar sector in Kashmir responded in a "controlled" way to unprovoked firing from the Pakistani side.

Pakistan's military said a soldier was killed in the "unprovoked firing" by the Indian Army.

Pakistan military spokesman Major-General Asim Saleem Bajwa said Thursday's attack was the 10th ceasefire violation by India so far this year. The two neighbours had agreed on a border truce about a decade ago that has largely held so far.

Pakistan's foreign office said "such unprovoked attacks" are against the spirit of the ongoing peace process and create "unnecessary and unavoidable distractions" in peace efforts.

Pakistan also said it has pursued dialogue with India "with seriousness" and taken "significant steps" to create a peaceful environment.

An Indian military official told reporters in Delhi that Pakistani troops Friday again opened fire at Indian posts close to the LoC in the Krishna Ghati sector, around 250 km from Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir.

"The army offered a calibrated response to silence Pakistani guns," said the official pleading anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media.

The firing lasted for half an hour, he said.

"There were no casualties on this (Indian) side."

Pakistan has suspended the cross border bus service, blocking trade as it also did not open its gates to allow goods truck

Pakistan summons Indian ambassador over killing of second soldier

Source :  Xinhua

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Friday summoned Indian ambassador to the Foreign Ministry and a formal protest was lodged over the killing of its second soldier in Indian firing in less than a week, state media reported.

Pakistan Army said Thursday that Indian forces killed one of its soldiers along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between the two countries in the disputed Kashmir region. "The Indian High Commissioner was summoned and handed over a protest note on the unprovoked Indian attack on a Pakistani post along the Line of Control that killed a Pakistani soldier yesterday,"radio Pakistan reported.

Pakistan Army said that the solder, Havildar Mohyuddin, was killed due to unprovoked firing by Indian troops at Hotspring sector in Battal sector.

The statement from the Pakistan military's Inter-Services Public Relations said that the Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing at a Pakistani post named Kundi.

India has also accused Pakistani forces of killing two of its soldiers in its parts of Kashmir on Tuesday, but the charges were denied by Pakistan.

Pakistani Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, on Thursday denied Indian claim and said Pakistan wants a third party to conduct inquiry into the ceasefire violations on the LoC.

The clashes escalated tensions along the LoC and posed threat to the 2003 bilateral ceasefire.

Foreign Minister Khar told a news conference in Islamabad that Pakistan has also contacted UN military Observer Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) and proposed investigation into the border violations.

New Delhi has rejected Pakistan's offer to seek UN investigation into the alleged LoC clashes, saying it is a bilateral issue.

Fresh tension as India and Pakistan border row escalates

Source :Pakistan News

DELHI - India and Pakistan were Thursday locked in a fresh war of words and a bitter diplomatic row over a border skirmish that led to the killing of two Indian soldiers earlier this week.

There were reports of cross border mortar shelling again Thursday as Pakistan army alleged that Indian soldiers killed one of their border colleagues, in the worst outbreak of violence since the nuclear rivals agreed on a ceasefire a decade ago.

A Pakistan army spokesperson said one of soldiers was killed by "unprovoked" fire from the other side of a de facto border in Kashmir a Himalayan state claimed in full by both but ruled in parts.

If true, Thursday's would be the third fatal attack in five days along the ceasefire line or the Line of Control (LoC) that divides Kashmir between the two neighbours.

A Pakistani soldier was killed Sunday. This followed the killing and mutilation of two Indian soldiers Tuesday, officials from respective countries said.

The two sides have lodged diplomatic protests with Pakistan even proposing a UN probe into the killings.

But India has rejected the proposal of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) taking up the investigation into the incidents. The group is present on both sides of the LoC.

"We are certainly not going to agree to internationalise the issue or allow the UN to hold an inquiry. That demand is obviously rejected out of hand," Indian Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said at a news conference.

He was speaking to the media after taking part in the meetings of the high level cabinet panel on security, also attended by Defence Minister A. K. Antony.

"We take a serious view of what happened. Whatever has to be done will be done," Chidambaram said as India alleged that one of the dead soldiers was decapitated brutally.

As the border tension raged, Pakistan disallowed Indian goods trucks from Jammu and Kashmir to enter its territory, temporarily halting the cross border trade.

In Islamabad, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar reiterated the demand for a third party enquiry into the ceasefire violations.

Khar said she was "unpleasantly surprised" by Indian accusations against Pakistan.

She however allayed fears that the standoff could escalate to derail the peace process with India.

"You asked whether this will set back or derail the (peace) process. I will hope not and I (do not) see it derailing or setting back the process," Khar told reporters at the Foreign Office.

"I hope both the countries will show their commitment to correct (the situation) as we are showing our commitment to correct. "

Pakistani FM seeks third party inquiry into cross-border attacks

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar Thursday said Pakistan wants a third party inquiry into the ceasefire violations on the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between Pakistan and India in the disputed Kashmir region, after India accused Pakistani forces of killing two of its soldiers.

The foreign minister told a news conference in Islamabad that Pakistan has also contacted United Nations Military Observer Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) and proposed investigation into the border violations.

"Pakistan abides by the ceasefire and follows the mechanism to deal with such kinds of issues," she said while speaking at a joint press conference along with the visiting Foreign Minister of Thailand Surapong Tovichakchaikul.

Reports from India suggest that New Delhi has rejected Pakistan 's offer that the UN probes the alleged LoC clashes.

Indian officials alleged that Pakistani forces entered some 100 meters into its territory and killed two soldiers, adding that one soldier was beheaded.

Reacting strongly to the contradictory statements emanating from India, Foreign Minister Khar said Pakistan made responsible statements and followed the mechanism to defuse the situation.

"Pakistan will not like to escalate situation with India and hoped the recent incident at the LoC will not cause setback to the peace process," she said.

She said Pakistan has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to improve relations with India. "In this regard, we have also taken several trust building measures," she said.

She said the people of Pakistan are peace loving and extend a hand of friendship to all the regional countries including India. She said her country has taken a lead role in building trust with India.

To a question about the granting of the Most Favored Nation status to Indiam, Hina Rabbani Khar said Islamabad remains committed to improving trade relations with New Delhi. "Pakistan wants removal of all visible and invisible trade barriers with India," she said.

Pakistan-India tension has prompted international calls for calm and talks to avoid escalations. The UN and the United States, have appealed to Pakistan and India to respect the ceasefire in the Kashmir region.

In New Delhi, Pakistani High Commissioner was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday and a formal protest was lodged over the alleged Pakistani incursion.

Senior Pakistani and Indian military officials on Wednesday also talked on phone and discussed the current situation, the Pakistani military said.

Cross-border attacks in Kashmir pose threat to India-Pakistan ties

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan and India have accused each other of launching deadly attack on the other side and violating the 2003 ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between the two rivals in the disputed Kashmir region.

A Pakistani army statement said that Indian troops crossed the LoC in Haji Pir Sector in Bagh district and raided a Pakistani checkpoint on Sunday, killing one of its soldiers and injuring another.

India did not officially respond to Pakistan's claim. But on Tuesday, Indian security officials said that Pakistani troops sneaked into Indian-controlled Kashmir and ambushed an army patrol, killing two Indian soldiers.

Pakistani military officials, however, dismissed the Indian accusation of unprovoked firing as 'propaganda'

"It looks like an Indian propaganda to divert attention from the Sunday raid on a Pakistani post by Indian troops in which a Pakistani soldier was killed," a statement issued by the Pakistani military said.

After years of a lull, the cross-border tension between the nuclear rivals has raised serious concerns and calls for de- escalation around the world.

Guns had been relatively silent along the LoC since then Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali announced a unilateral ceasefire along the LoC in November 2003 in view of the civilian casualties on both sides of LoC as troops of the two countries used to routinely exchange fire.

India had positively responded to Pakistani announcement by also declaring ceasefire, which was widely welcome around the world. This resulted in the return of thousands of Kashmiris who had fled their homes due to frequent clashes between the two sides.

Pakistan also mounted pressure on Kashmiri militants fighting for an end to Indian rule to respect the truce. Indian authorities later admitted a substantial decrease in 'intrusion' of militants into its part of Kashmir from the Pakistani side.

The two rivals launched several other mutual confidence- building measures including restarting Kashmir bus service to allow the divided Kashmiris to visit each other, followed by truck service to boost trade and economic cooperation, substantially easing tension between the arch rivals in South Asia.

However, the 2008 Mumbai terror attack pushed the two countries to the brink of conflict after New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attack and suspected the role of Pakistani intelligence agencies in the carnage. Pakistan had rejected the claim as absurd.

India suspended comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan following the attack. However, both countries gradually revived diplomatic contacts after the arrests of several suspects by Pakistan.

As the ties warmed up, then Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani visited India to watch a cricket match between India and Pakistan at the World Cup semifinal in March 2011 at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh. The relations got a further boost when Pakistan granted the Most Favored Nations trade status to India last year.

However, the recent escalation along the LoC have once again cast doubt over the fragile ceasefire and the bilateral composite dialogue process.

One positive sign is that defense ministry officials of the two countries will meet soon in New Delhi to discuss the recent clashes and hopefully de-escalate the tension in Kashmir, according to Indian media.

Neither Pakistan nor India can afford tension as it took the two important countries in South Asia a long time to normalize relationship, which is also the key to stability of the region and even the world.

ASIA - Pakistani and Indian troops exchange fire in Kashmir

Pakistani and Indian troops exchanged fire Sunday along their disputed border in divided Kashmir, with each side blaming the other for the flare-up and Pakistan saying one of its soldiers was killed.

Pakistan said Indian troops crossed the de facto border known as the Line of Control and stormed a military post, an accusation denied by the other side.

A Pakistani military statement said the Indian troops came across the frontier in the Haji Pir sector, 80 kilometres (49 miles) north of Islamabad, and "physically raided" a checkpost named Sawan Patra.

"Pakistan Army troops effectively responded to the attack successfully. One Pakistani soldier embraced martyrdom while another was critically injured," it said in a statement.

The Indian troops retreated, leaving behind a gun and a dagger, it said.

An Indian army spokesman in Srinagar, the summer capital of the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, denied its troops crossed the border.

Colonel Brijesh Pandey accused the Pakistani military of firing mortar bombs into a village in the Uri district in Indian Kashmir, which faces Haji Pir in the Pakistani sector of the territory.

"At 3:15 am today (2145 GMT Saturday) Pakistani troops resorted to heavy mortar firing, targeting a village in Uri sector," Pandey told AFP, adding that the homes of some villagers were damaged.

"We retaliated with small arms and the exchange continued for over an hour," the spokesman said.

He said no Indian troops were hurt but had no information about any Pakistani casualties.

Muslim-majority Kashmir is a Himalayan region which India and Pakistan both claim in full but rule in part. It was the cause of two of their three wars since independence from Britain in 1947.

The nuclear-armed neighbours have observed a ceasefire in Kashmir since November 2003, but there have been occasional clashes and accusations of truce violations from both sides.

Last month officials in Pakistani-administered Kashmir said cross-border fire from Indian troops killed a man and wounded three other civilians in two villages.

According to an official Indian report cited by the Press Trust of India, there were 71 firing incidents along the Line of Control in 2012 in which four Indian soldiers, two Indian civilians and one alleged Pakistani infiltrator were killed. Fifteen others were injured, according to the report from the Kashmir state home ministry.

The latest clash occurred as the two countries wrapped up their first bilateral cricket series for five years.

Cricket has been used in the past to mend ties, but analysts have said the prospect of a diplomatic dividend this time appeared slim.

India suspended its peace process with Pakistan after deadly attacks by Pakistan-based militants in 2008 in Mumbai. Talks only resumed in February last year. Both sides remain deadlocked over Kashmir but have made some progress on less contentious subjects such as trade.

Source : Huryet