Maintain sanctity of LoC, India tells Pakistan

New Delhi: India on Friday told Pakistan that it had only resorted to "controlled response" to the "unprovoked" firing by Pakistani army on Thursday along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. This was conveyed by Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal, who was called in by the Pakistan Foreign Office and served a demarche by Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani over Thursday's incident in Battal sector of the LoC, which the Pakistan Army said had resulted in the death of a soldier.

"The Indian High Commissioner was called to the Foreign Office where he met Jilani and issued a note verbale on an incident which is said to have occurred on January 10," official spokesperson in Ministry of External Affairs said. He also said Pakistan is claiming that one of their soldiers was killed in the incident.

The High Commissioner told Jilani that there was "unprovoked firing from Pakistan (along the LoC) in Mendhar sector and there was a controlled response from our side," the spokesperson said. The Indian envoy also stressed the need for holding the sanctity of LoC and adherence of the Simla Agreement to sort out bilateral issues, he said.

India on Friday told Pakistan that it had only resorted to \"controlled response\" to the \"unprovoked\" firing by Pakistani army.

On Pakistan refusing to allow trucks from India carrying goods to cross LoC trade point in Poonch district, the spokesperson said "our officials are in talks." As many as 25 trucks carrying goods, mostly vegetables, from India were not allowed to cross the LoC and enter Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir at Chakan-Da-Bagh, according to officials of the Trade Facilitation Center (TFC) at Poonch on Thursday.

The spokesperson also reiterated India's position that it was "capable" of resolving the issue bilaterally and rejected role of the UN or any third party. He also noted that DGMO's of both the countries were in "regular touch".

There have been three violations of the nine-year-old ceasefire along the LoC in the past five days. The Indian Army said two of its soldiers were killed in a cross-border raid by Pakistani troops on Tuesday while another Pakistani soldier died on Sunday. The clashes were among the most serious violations of the truce that was put in place in late 2003.

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