India raises issues of unprovoked firing, terror activities at flag meeting with Pakistan in J&K's Poonch

Jammu: India and Pakistan held a flag meeting along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Friday, in an effort to de-escalate tension after several recent incidents of cross-border firing and an IED attack, official sources said.

The brigade commander-level flag meeting took place in the Chakkan-Da-Bagh crossing point area, with both sides highlighting the need to maintain peace along the border, the sources said.

However, no official statement was issued by the Indian Army on the 75-minute-long meeting that started at around 11 am.

The sources said the Indian military delegation lodged a strong protest over the recent unprovoked cross-border firing incidents, infiltration attempts by terrorists and smuggling of narcotics and weapons.

The meeting took place in a congenial atmosphere and both sides agreed to honour the ceasefire agreement in the larger interest of peace on the border, the sources said.

Ceasefire violations along the border of Jammu and Kashmir have been rare since the two neighbouring countries renewed an agreement on February 25, 2021.

Two Indian Army personnel, including a captain, were killed and another was injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack carried out by suspected terrorists in the Akhnoor sector of the Jammu region on February 11.

Two Army personnel were injured in separate incidents of small-arms firing from across the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts on February 10 and February 14, while two more Army personnel were injured in separate land-mine explosions in Poonch over the last week.

The extent of damage on the Pakistani side in the retaliatory action was not known immediately but officials had said the enemy forces also suffered "heavy casualties".

Meanwhile, the sources said an explosion took place on the zero line in the Nakerkote area of the Digwar sector in Poonch at 9:20 am but there was no casualty.

The cause of the blast was not known immediately, they added.