Omar says Pak ceasefire violations deserve befitting response

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said India cannot continue to be at the receiving end of multiple and continuous ceasefire violations from the Pakistani side along the Line of Control (LoC).

He said the Directors General of Military Operations of both countries should meet at the earliest to ensure a constructive bilateral relationship.

Speaking on the occasion of 'Police Commemoration Day' here, Abdullah praised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for explicitly stating the country's position while meeting his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York last month, and said that it was time for both sides to follow-up on the decisions taken at that meeting.

"I said that if this continues, obviously this cannot be a one-sided affair. It cannot be a situation where we are on a receiving end and no response is given. I think our Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) was very forthright in putting across India's concerns in New York and mechanism had been worked out, whereby the DGMOs (Directors General of Military Operations) of both the countries would meet to discuss cooling of the LoC (Line of Control) and the IB (International Border)," Abdullah said.

"That has not happened so far. I believe that is an option that needs to be exercised," he added.

On Sunday, after the Pakistan Army started unprovoked firing on the Jabowal post of R.S. Pura Sector and Ramgarh Sector in Samba, Border Security Forces (BSF) retaliated.

Earlier on Friday, Pakistani soldiers opened fire at Border Security Force (BSF) posts at 25 different locations in Jammu and Samba districts.

Two BSF personnel were injured and one infiltrator was killed in the firing as the Indian Army foiled multiple infiltrations bids through the night.

In the past two months, there have been more than 150 incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

There has been no improvement in the situation along the Line of Control in the recent past even after the meeting between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan.

In the September 29 talks between Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, both sides had agreed that improving the situation on the LoC is the 'precondition' to 'forward movement' in the India- Pakistan relationship.

As a result of the prime ministerial level talks, it was decided to task the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) to suggest effective means to restore the ceasefire.