Pak shows white flags along border, no flag meeting

Pakistan today displayed white flags along the International Border (IB) in Samba sector possibly as a mark for having peace but it did not respond to calls for a flag meeting between border guards to de-escalate tensions.
There were two white flags displayed from two different border villages along Ramgarh in Samba district and Jammu sector today, government officials said.
But calls for a flag meeting at Octerio Border Out Post (BoP) along IB in R S Pura sub-sector of Jammu got no response, they said.
While at the same time, Pakistan troops fired two rounds on BOP Katav in Kathua district today triggering panic among people as BSF troops retaliated.

A senior BSF officer had said yesterday that the flag meeting is likely to be held today.
"We are making all efforts to hold the flag meeting to defuse the tension and response from other side has already been received," he had said.

BSF troops had earlier tried to hold flag meeting on October 18 and 20 with Pakistan Rangers on IB at two forward BoPs in Samba district, but Pakistan Rangers did not turn up for meeting after a long wait by BSF troops.
"On October 18 and 20, the BSF twice approached the Rangers for flag meets, but they did not turn up," BSF Jammu Frontier DIG Dharmender Pareekh had told reporters here recently.

As per the reports, Pakistan Rangers, who had also given consent for meeting on October 26 and 27 also did not responded.
BSF had sent communications via hotlines to the Rangers from Nikowal and Shidra and octroi BoPs and had received their response.