US appreciates joint vow of India, Pakistan to adhere to 2003 LoC ceasefire

By
GEO NEWS
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WASHINGTON: The United States said Thursday night it appreciated the joint decision of Pakistan and India to fully implement the ceasefire understanding of 2003 in letter and spirit, and to ensure that the agreement will not be violated by both sides from now on, Geo News reported.

According to a spokesperson for the US Department of State, improvement in Indo-Pak relations was beneficial to all stakeholders involved.

On Tuesday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had said in a statement that a special hotline contact was established between the Director-Generals of Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan and India.

Both DGMOs reviewed the ongoing situation at the Line of Control (LoC) and the working boundary, and agreed mutually to undertake some sincere measures to improve the current state of affairs to ensure peace and avoid hardships to the civilians along the borders, the statement had added.

It was also agreed upon that in the case of an issue, restraint will be exercised and the matter will be resolved through the utilisation of existing mechanisms of hotline contacts and border flag meetings at the local commanders' level.

A number of cases of LOC violations by India have been reported by the Pakistan Army.

Four civilians were martyred and 10 injured when Indian forces opened unprovoked fire on a border village across the working boundary in Sialkot earlier this year.

Pakistan’s DGMO had taken up the issue previously, on April 28, with his Indian counterpart as well.