Jammu

India and Pakistan held a flag meeting on Friday along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district to address recent cross-LoC firing incidents.

The meeting aimed to de-escalate tensions after recent cross-LoC firing and an IED blast that claimed the lives of two soldiers, including a captain. Officials said the brigade commander-level meeting was conducted at the Chakan Da Bagh crossing point in Poonch.

“Both sides agreed that maintaining peace and tranquillity on the borders is essential. The meeting, lasting about 75 minutes, was held in a cordial atmosphere. Both parties agreed to honour the ceasefire agreement for the greater good of peace on the borders,” officials stated.

Since the renewal of the ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021, violations along the Jammu and Kashmir borders have been rare, the officials noted.

Apart from the two Indian Army soldiers martyred in the Akhnoor sector on February 11, two other soldiers were injured by firing from the Pakistan side of the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts.

The Indian Army retaliated to cross-border firing in the Poonch sector, and reports indicated casualties on the Pakistan side.

In the face of open infiltration routes this winter due to minimal snowfall, the Army and security forces have maintained high vigilance on the LoC and the hinterland.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently chaired two security review meetings on Jammu and Kashmir, instructing forces to ensure zero infiltration and adopt zero tolerance for terrorism.

Lt Governor Manoj Sinha also chaired two security meetings in Srinagar and Jammu, urging authorities to dismantle the terror ecosystem by targeting terrorists, their over-ground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers.