SRINAGAR: The appeal aired by the Secretary General of United Nations Ban Ki-moon paved way for an Indo-Pak detente on the tense borders on Wednesday when the flag meeting between officers of the Pakistan Rangers and the Border Security Force concluded on a positive note .
The reports said the meeting lasted for 45-minutes and saw India raising issue of snipping of Indian Army and paramilitary soldiers by Pakistan troops along the Line of Control and the normal borders.
It was the first border security force flag meeting between India and Pakistan and was held at the Nikowal Border Outpost in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pargwal Sector.
The talks between border officers took place a day after the Directors General of Military Operations-DGMOs had talked over the hotline on ways to de-escalate tensions along the Line of Control and the International Border.
The DGMOs of India and Pakistan had concluded their talks on a positive note.
Both the sides had then agreed to hold regular flag meetings to diffuse the tense situation along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border.
Pakistani troops had fired on 40 border outposts (BoPs) and 24 villages along the International Border in Jammu and Samba districts, leaving three people injured.
According to reports, there have been 33 ceasefire violations since July 16.
Meanwhile, the reports revealed that the BSF had approached the Pakistan Rangers at least 16 times for flag meetings but got tepid response, a top officer of the force said on Sunday and claimed the neighbouring country is resorting to ceasefire violations to divert attention of its people from its internal strife.
BSF claimed they had approached Pakistan 16 times for a flag meet. FirstpostBSF claimed they had approached Pakistan 16 times for a flag meet. Firstpost
“Our Sector Commander (of BSF) has tried 16 times from July 16 this year till date to talk (for flag meeting) to counterpart on Pakistan side, but he has never responded. So what can you expect,” Inspector General of BSF Jammu frontier, Rakesh Sharma told reporters in Jammu this evening.
Blaming Pakistan for ceasefire violations, he said, “Generally you see that internal turmoil in Pakistan. They want to divert the attention of general public towards border from their internal turmoil and that is why they have risen the level of ceasefire violation”.
“We have never refused any flag meetings. If Pakistan comes for a flag meeting we will certainly attend it. But as far as our stand is concerned, we have requested them in the past. They have not responded,” he said.
“To share with you, as per the decision taken in the DG level talks, it was decided that as and when there is tension on the border, both the sector-level commanders from Indian and Pakistan sides will speak on hot line and resolve the issue,” the IG said.
“We are concerned about it. Peace must prevail along the border. But Pakistan is not doing any efforts to bring peace. It is all upto Pakistan to defuse the situation,” he added.
He said, “In all the case of violations, protest notes have been lodged. Response is always a denial mode. They always deny their involvement in the firing. We always provide them proof also and some times they do not even respond.
“The ammunition found are made in Pakistan ordinance factory, its marking is proof of it. It is their mortar shells,” he said.
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