India-Pak military officials meet to ease tension in Kashmir LoC

Military officials from India and Pakistan began their meeting Tuesday at a "no man's land" along the Wagah-Attari border in northwest India's Punjab state to work out a mechanism to ease tension and ensure peace at the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir. The meeting is being held in the name of Director Generals Military Operations (DGMO).The Indian side is led by Lt. Gen. Vinod Bhatia while Major Gen. Aamer Riaz is heading the Pakistani side, said a report by Press Trust of India. A brigadier and three Lieutenant Colonels from each side were also participating in the talks, which are the first between the military officers of the two countries in 14 years after the Kargil War in Kashmir, the report added. The prime ministers of India and Pakistan agreed to hold such meetings by DGMOs during their talks in New York in September. The talks were expected to be focused on tension on LoC and other related issues and aimed at working out a mechanism for maintaining a 2003 ceasefire and bring normalcy to the situation at LoC in Kashmir, said Indian officials. India was also expected to forcefully convey to Pakistan the importance of maintaining ceasefire at the LoC, which New Delhi claimed has been repeatedly violated by Pakistan this year, according to officials here. Tension has remained high at LoC in Kashmir due to incessant shootings and the killing of a number of soldiers from both sides by each other's troops over the past one year. However, both the Indian and Pakistani governments have been working hard to put the situation under control and sort out disputes through dialogue and talks.