India, Pakistan hold flag meeting at LoC

Senior Indian and Pakistan Army officers held a flag meeting at the Line of Control in the frontier Poonch district on Tuesday.

"A Battalion Commander Level Flag Meeting was held at Chakan–Da–Bagh in Poonch sector at 1100 hours today to take forward the peace process initiated since the Brigade Commander Level Flag Meeting of 21 September 2015," a defence spokesman in a statement said."

"The representatives of the two nations deliberated to address on the recent ceasefire violations in Poonch Sector."

"In the meeting, which lasted for nearly thirty minutes, the 'Colonel' ranked officers leading the respective delegations, acknowledged each other's efforts in maintaining peace and tranquillity on the Line of Control in the recent past," the statement further said.

"The flag meeting ended on a positive note and both sides reaffirmed their faith in ensuring everlasting peace and tranquillity on the Line of Control by redressing mutual concerns on priority in the future," the statement added.

After a lull of nearly seven months, the ceasefire on the LoC was violated again on Sunday with Pakistan army resorting to mortar shelling and firing in Poonch sector, a development that comes amid a fresh chill in relations between the two countries.

Meanwhile, in Islamabad, Pakistan army had accused India of resorting to firing across the LoC in the Neza Pir sector.