Pakistani, Indian military officials in hotline contact to reduce border tensions

Top military commanders of Pakistan and India on Wednesday spoke on hotline to reduce tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) with the Pakistan Army reiterating to observe ceasefire strictly, the military sources said. The Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two countries established contact a day after Indian and Pakistan militaries accused each other of violation of a 2003 ceasefire by resorting to firing on posts. Indian defense officials earlier said that Pakistani troops attacked an Indian post along the LoC in the Poonch sector in the disputed Kashmir region late Monday night, killing five Indian soldiers. Pakistan military says that Indian troops fired on a post on Wednesday and critically injured two soldiers. "A special hotline contact was established this morning between the DGMOs of Pakistan and Indian army to discuss situation arising due to recent Indian allegations on the LoC," Pakistani military sources said. "Pakistan army DGMO strongly and categorically rejected Indian allegations of LoC violation by Pakistani troops and killing of five Indian soldiers at LoC in Poonch sector on night of August 5, " the sources said. They said Pakistan army also lodged a strong protest during special hotline contact for LoC violation by Indian troops in Pandu sector on Wednesday in which two Pakistani soldiers were seriously wounded. "It was reiterated by Pakistani DGMO that Pakistan army abide by the ceasefire agreements existing between the two countries," the military sources said. The recent LoC firing again heightened tensions between the uneasy neighbors at a time when Pakistan's new government is trying to improve relations with India and to resume the official dialogue. Officials in the two countries say that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to meet his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September. Pakistan said last week that it has proposed dates to India for resumption of the official dialogue and awaits Indian response. Pakistan declared a unilateral ceasefire along the LoC in 2003 which was positively responded by India. Guns had been relatively silenced since then. However, border troops some time trade fires and both sides routinely accuse each other of violations. The Foreign Ministry spokesman said Pakistan remains committed to the ceasefire agreement of 2003 which is an important confidence building measure and should be respected in letter and spirit. The LoC escalation started in January this year when skirmishes between armies of two neighbors claimed lives of five troopers, two from India and three from Pakistan. Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.