India, Pak hold flag meeting along LoC

Amidst an increase in instances of cross-border firing, India and Pakistan on Friday held a flag meeting along the Line of Control (LoC) in Chakan da Bagh area of Poonch district, people familiar with the development said.

- Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

JAMMU: Amidst an increase in instances of cross-border firing, India and Pakistan on Friday held a flag meeting along the Line of Control (LoC) in Chakan da Bagh area of Poonch district, people familiar with the development said. The meeting lasted for 75 minutes, they added on condition of anonymity.

"The Indian delegation was led by a Brigadier. Both sides agreed to honour truce deal along the LoC," said the people.

"The meeting took place in a congenial atmosphere and both sides agreed to honour the ceasefire agreement in the larger interest of peace on the border. However, the Indian delegation clearly conveyed Pakistani delegation to desist from vitiating peace on the LoC by resorting to sniper fire, IED attacks and trying to push terrorists into J&K," they added.

"The Indian side also conveyed that though India wants peace on the borders, if Pakistan continued its activities and provoked the Indian Army, we reserve the right to retaliate," the people said.

Two Indian Army personnel, including a captain, were killed and another injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack carried out by suspected terrorists in the Akhnoor sector of the Jammu region on February 11.