In an effort to ensure peace at the 750km long line of Control(loC), which saw repeated ceasefire violations in August and September, India and Pakistan on Tuesday resolved to respect the sanctity of ceasefire by maintaining peace and tranquility.
This came about in the nearly two-hour-long meeting between the Director General Military Operations(DGMO) of two countries in Wagah in Pakistan. The two DGMOs were meeting for the first time since Kargil war in 1999. The latest meeting was the result of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's agreement in October for having a regular meeting between the two DGMOs.
The Indian delegation was led by lt. General Vinod Bhatia while Pakistan was led by its DGMO Major General Aamer Riaz. The two countries issued a joint statement after the meeting which said the talks were held in a cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere.
Both DGsMO showed their commitment to maintain the sanctity and ceasefire on the lOC and agreed to re-energise the existing mechanisms. Consensus was developed to make Hotline Contact between the two DGsMO more effective and result oriented. It was also decided to inform each other if any innocent civilian inadvertently crosses line of Control, in order to ensure his early return. Incidentally, the two DGMOs talk to each other on the hotline every Tuesday.
The statement also said to carry forward the positive spirit of meeting, two flag meetings between Brigade Commanders will be held on the loC in the near future, to ensure maintenance of peace and tranquility. The statement said both sides reiterated resolve and commitment to continue efforts for ensuring ceasefire, peace and tranquility on the line of Control.
The loC became hot in January this year when Pakistan Army commandos sneaked into the Indian territory in Poonch and beheaded one Indian soldier and killed another one. This incident was followed by another cross-border raid in August when the Pakistan commandos filled five Indian soldiers in Poonch. This led to uproar in Parliament and the Prime Minister was urged not to hold talks with Sharif in New York on the sidelines.
Singh, however, persisted with his peace initiative and both the prime ministers decided to allow the DGMOs to meet face to face to resolve issues. This year the loC saw more than 200 ceasefire violations by Pakistan.