LoC violation: Civilian killed in Indian shelling

Meanwhile, Pakistani and Indian military officials speak via ‘hotline’

MIRPUR/ ISLAMABAD:

An elderly civilian was killed in ‘unprovoked shelling’ by Indian troops across the Line of Control (LoC) in Chirikot sector on Tuesday.

“Indian forces started firing small arms and mortar shells at Chirikot village without any provocation,” said AJK Additional Home Secretary Abdul Hamid Mughal. He added that 80-year-old Muhammad Din died when one of the shells hit his house.

Meanwhile, Pakistani and Indian military officials spoke via ‘hotline’ on Tuesday.

“The two armies discussed the prevailing situation at LoC and working boundary,” a military official said. He added that while the contact was made at one level lower than DGMO, it indicated that communication channels remained open.

The official said the Pakistan Army expressed concerns over repeated ceasefire violations by India. However, he said the situation had been improving over the past three days and was expected to improve further.

At the same time, he accused India of using ‘unprovoked firing’ to justify the cancellation of peace talks.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2014.