DGMOs of India, Pak make hotline contact after LoC flare-up

Team Udayavani, May 2, 2017, 2:35 PM IST

Islamabad (Pakistan): The top army commanders of Pakistan and India today talked over the hotline, a day after a Pakistani special forces team sneaked across the Line of Control and beheaded two Indian security personnel.

The hotline contact between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of Pakistan and India was established at 11.30 AM, Geo News reported.

“Pakistan rejected Indian allegations of ceasefire violation and mutilation of bodies of Indian soldiers,” the report said.

The DGMO-level contact came after the local commanders of the two armies spoke last night at Rawlakot-Poonch sector along the LoC.

The local commander of the Pakistan Army told his Indian counterpart that no ceasefire violation was committed by Pakistan, the military’s Inter-Services Public Relations wing said in a statement.

“Indian counterpart was told that there has been no ceasefire violation from Pakistan side nor mutilation of Indian soldiers’ bodies. Indian authorities were told that there is unnecessary media hype following the allegations,” the army said.

The statement also said that Pakistan remains fully committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity along the LoC and expects the same from the other side.

Pakistan Army said it hopes prudence is exercised and no steps are taken that may lead to the vitiating of the environment and affect peace along LoC.

A junior commissioned officer (JCO) and a Border Security Force head constable were killed and their bodies mutilated by the Pakistan army team which sneaked about 250 metres into the Indian territory along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan’s border action team (BAT) crossed into the Indian side as the Pakistan Army launched heavy rocket and mortar firing on two forward posts in the Krishna Ghati sector.

The incident evoked a sharp reaction from India with Defence Minister Arun Jaitley saying such attacks do not even take place during war and that the whole country has full faith in the armed forces.

“Bodies of soldiers being mutilated is an extreme form of barbaric act. Government of India strongly condemns this act.

The whole country has full faith in our armed forces which will react appropriately to the act,” Jaitley had said.