Armies of India, Pakistan agree to ceasefire along LoC

In a big development, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday that India and Pakistan armies have agreed to cease firing along the Line of Control (LoC) from midnight of February 24-25.

The Director Generals of Military Operations of the two countries agreed to observe ceasefire “in the interest of achieving mutually beneficial and sustainable peace along the borders."

The meeting which was held between the Director Generals of Military Operations of India and Pakistan also reviewed the current situation across the Line of Control (LoC) and other sectors ‘in a free, frank and cordial atmosphere’, the statement said. During the meeting, the DGsMO also agreed to discuss core issues and concerns which have the potential to disturb peace along the regions of the LoC.

“The two DGsMO agreed to address each other’s core issues and concerns which have the propensity to disturb peace and lead to violence. Both sides agreed for strict observance of all agreements, understandings and cease firing along the Line of Control and all other sectors with effect,” the statement said.

"There have been contacts between India and Pakistan on a hotline level since 1987. Frequently, the DGMOs of both countries stay in contact through this established mechanism," Dawn newspaper quoted Pakistani military spokesman Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar as saying.

He said that from 2014 there was a spike in ceasefire violations along the LoC.

Army Chief Gen MM Naravane while speaking at a webinar on Wednesday had said: “With our continuous engagement with Pakistan, we will be able to prevail over them for border peace, as unsettled borders help no one.”

But the General had also raised concerns about infiltration in the summer months and terror launchpads that were active across the border.

While India and Pakistan had signed a ceasefire agreement in 2003, it was never implemented in letter and spirit after the initial few years.

According to official data, there were 5,133 instances of ceasefire violations along the LoC last year, which resulted in 46 fatalities. This year, as of 28 January, there were 299 violations, and one fatality had been reported till 1 February.