India, Pakistan to uphold 20 month LoC ceasefire

NEW DELHI: Pushing ahead with confidence building measures (CBMs), India and Pakistan yesterday decided to uphold the 20-month-old ceasefire and agreed not to develop any new posts and defense works along the Line of Control (LoC).

Announcing a series of steps at the end of the one-day expert level talks on conventional CBMs here between the two countries, External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters that they agreed to upgrade the existing hotline between their DGMOs by September end this year. The two sides also agreed to implement the 1991 agreement on air space violations in letter and spirit, he said while giving details of a joint statement issued after the talks. The conventional CBMs come close on the heels of the nuclear CBMs under which the two countries have reached an understanding on the proposed agreement on pre-notification of flight testing of ballistic missiles.

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"We are hopeful that the agreement and other understandings reached during this dialogue would contribute significantly to the peace process between India and Pakistan," he said. The two sides agreed "not to develop any new posts and defense works along the Line of Control," the statement said.

It was agreed to hold monthly flag meetings between local commanders at Kargil/Olding, Uri/Chakothi, Naushera/Sadabad and Jammu/Sialkot sectors, he said. The two sides also agreed on speedy return of inadvertent "Line crossers" and decided to work out a comprehensive framework to that end.

They decided to review the existing CBMs and report the progress made in the present round of talks to the respective foreign secretaries.