Hold sanctity of LoC, India tells Pakistan

NEW DELHI: India today told Pakistan that it had only resorted to "controlled response" to the "unprovoked" firing by Pakistani army yesterday along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

This was conveyed by Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal, who was called in by the Pakistan Foreign Office and served a demarche by Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani over yesterday's incident in Battal sector of the LoC, which the Pakistan Army said had resulted in the death of a soldier.

"The Indian High Commissioner was called to the Foreign Office where he met Jilani and issued a note verbale on an incident which is said to have occurred on January 10," official spokesperson in Ministry of External Affairs said. He also said Pakistan is claiming that one of their soldiers was killed in the incident.

The High Commissioner told Jilani that there was "unprovoked firing from Pakistan (along the LoC) in Mendhar sector and there was a controlled response from our side," the spokesperson said.

The Indian envoy also stressed the need for holding the sanctity of LoC and adherence of the Simla Agreement to sort out bilateral issues, he said.

On Pakistan refusing to allow trucks from India carrying goods to cross LoC trade point in Poonch district, the spokesperson said "our officials are in talks."

As many as 25 trucks carrying goods, mostly vegetables, from India were not allowed to cross the LoC and enter Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir at Chakan-Da-Bagh, according to officials of the Trade Facilitation Center (TFC) at Poonch yesterday.