Army seeks brigadier-level meet between India, Pak

The tensions along the Line of Control between India and Pakistan were discussed at a high-level meeting in the Prime Minister's Office where Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma briefed about the situation in New Delhi.

The Indian Army has asked the Pakistan army for a local-level flag meeting in Poonch sector where two Indian soldiers were killed and their bodies mutilated by the Pakistan army.

Sharma briefed the PMO about the situation along the Line of Control in Poonch sector, which has seen several ceasefire violations by the Pakistan army in the last few days, sources said in New Delhi.

The meeting was attended by top officials from the PMO and the national security advisor who were briefed about the steps taken by the forces and the defence ministry after the incidents.

Defence Minister A K Antony and National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon are keeping Prime Minister Manmohan Singh abreast of the developments in the situation.

The army has sought a brigadier-level meeting between the two armies in Poonch sector where ceasefire violations are taking place but the Pakistani side is yet to respond, army sources said in New Delhi.

In that area, there are four local hotlines between the two sides including Chakkan da Bagh, Uri, Balnoi and Tangdhar.   

The flag meeting is most likely to be called at Balnoi, which is closest to the site of the incident, they said. The army headquarters said the last ceasefire violation incident was reported by local formations on Thursday evening and the firing had ceased at 8.30 pm.

After that, no fresh incident of firing or ceasefire violation has been reported from that side, it said.

Army sources said since last year, there have been more than 120 ceasefire violations by Pakistan along Jammu and Kashmir, which include 97 along the LoC and the remaining along the International Border.

The number of successful terrorist infiltrations this year has gone up in comparison with last few years, they said.

The number of terrorists operating in Jammu and Kashmir has been estimated by the army to be around 440 while the Multi Agency Centre puts it to be around 300-350.