M A I N   N E W S

DGMOs of India, Pakistan agree to de-escalate tension
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 16
A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh toughened his stand on the recent killing of Indian soldiers by Pakistan, the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMO) of India and Pakistan today spoke over the hotline about de-escalating tension and maintaining peace along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Pakistan DGMO Maj Gen Ashfaq Nadeem informed his counterpart Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia that instructions have been issued to Pakistani troops to observe the 2003 ceasefire and exercise restraint,” top sources in the Indian military establishment confirmed tonight. The conversation lasted eight minutes.

Sources added that “an understanding has been reached between the DGMOs that the situation should not be allowed to escalate”.

Since the Brigadier-level flag meeting at Chakan da Bagh on January 14, the ceasefire has been violated five times in 48 hours with both sides resorting to intense firing on January 14 and following it up yesterday.

The Pakistani DGMO registered his protest at the killing of Pakistani soldier Naik Ashraf in Indian firing last night. Pakistan-based Geo TV said today that “Indian troops again resorted to ceasefire violation and carried out unprovoked firing last evening at the LoC in the Hot Springs and Jandrot sectors from 10 pm to 11 pm.”

Sources in India said that it was Pakistan which violated the ceasefire in the Balnoi sector last night and Indian troops only responded to it.

Today, when the Pakistan DGMO protested over the killing of a soldier, he was reportedly told “as you aren’t holding your fire, we had to retaliate”. Within Indian military circles, it is being believed that Pakistan was faced with the reality that India would retaliate especially after the PM said that “it cannot be business as usual”.

The PM, at the Army Day function yesterday, went on condemn the killings of Indian soldiers Hemraj and Sudhkar Singh on January 8.

Defence Minister AK Antony also followed the tough line taken the Army Chief and IAF Chief. “The Chiefs are supposed to talk in a straight-forward manner and that is what they did,” Antony is learnt to have told critics of the hard line within the government.

First, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, on January 12, spoke of “other options”. Army Chief General Bikram Singh followed it up on January 14 and warned Pakistan and assured the nation that “we will retaliate”. He even said that he has asked all his Commanders to be “aggressive and offensive along the LoC”.

“The Chiefs have always been encouraged to express their minds. They are not expected to speak in a language spoken by diplomats,” Antony is supposed to have clarified.

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