ISLAMABAD: Military officials of Pakistan and India spoke over hotline about the aggravating situation on the Line of Control and Working Boundary (WB) as UN military observers visited the areas hit by Indian shelling and the Islamabad-based diplomatic corps was briefed at the Foreign Office.

The telephonic conversation took place at the level of director military operations – a step lower than the level of directors general.

From the Pakistani side a brigadier took part in the conversation, while the officer on the Indian side was a colonel.

“A routine weekly hotline contact was established today between directors of military operations of Pakistani and Indian armies,” a Pakistan military spokesman said.

UN observers visit Sialkot villages hit by Indian shelling

The hotline mechanism between the directors general military operations (DGMOs) of the two countries have been in place since 1965. It is one of the oldest CBMs (confidence building measures) and its utility is acknowledged by both sides.

In December last year, a meeting of the DGMOs had helped end clashes between India and Pakistan. The calm, however, proved short-lived and the two countries were back to trading fire along the de facto border in six months.

In the first hotline contact during the current episode of border clashes that started on Oct 5, both sides expressed their concern over the situation and accused the other of unprovoked firing.

At least 20 people have lost their lives on both sides of the LoC and the WB in the continuing clashes.

“Pakistan Army DMO conveyed concerns to the Indian counterpart and pointed towards consistent and unprovoked Indian shelling on civil population along the LoC and WB,” the military spokesman said.

Meanwhile, a team of the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) visited villages in Charwah, Chaprar and Pukhlian sectors on the Working Boundary near Sialkot that have been badly hit by Indian firing.

The UN observers met villagers, witnessed and gathered first-hand account of damage caused to human lives and property due to recent Indian hostility on the WB.

Routine lives of civil population along the WB have been badly affected.

The observers also visited the Combined Military Hospital Sialkot and met civilians injured by the unprovoked Indian shelling.

The visit followed a complaint lodged by Pakistan with the UNMOGIP on Oct 9 over the unprovoked Indian firing/shelling.

Pakistan recognises the UNMOGIP set up through a UN Security Council resolution to monitor ceasefire on the Line of Control in place since 1951. India, on the contrary, does not cooperate with the UNMOGIP, saying that its observer role ended after the bilateral Simla agreement.

A letter written to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz had asked him to “facilitate and strengthen” the role of UNMOGIP.

At the briefing for Islamabad-based diplomatic corps, the diplomats were asked “to brief their capitals on the prevailing situation and to impress upon India the urgent need to stop ceasefire violations, eschew provocative statements leading to war hysteria, and engage in a meaningful dialogue with Pakistan, to resolve all outstanding issues through a sustained dialogue process”.

By Sialkot Our Correspondent adds: People residing in bordering villages of Bajrah Garhi, Anula, Bajrah Garhi, Khadraal and Beeni told the UN military observers that they had been spending sleepless nights for many days. Most of the families have shifted to safe places, along with their livestock.

They said Indian forces targeted people sleeping on the roof of their houses and in courtyards. Several villagers have been killed and injured and a large number of houses and animal sheds damaged by the Indian firing.

Senior officials of the Chenab Rangers briefed the UN observers on the month-long unprovoked Indian shelling and the situation on the Working Boundary.

The observers said that they were “investigating the situation intensely and collecting evidences in this regard”.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2014