Pak army agrees to restraint on LoC as DGMOs talk peace

India and Pakistan today agreed to end days of cross-border firing and make efforts to de-escalate tension by strictly adhering to the ceasefire agreement.

Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan Major General Ashfaq Nadeem today told his Indian counterpart that orders have been passed down the ranks to ''observe the ceasefire strictly and exercise restraint''.

The (DGMOs) of the two sides talked on the phone today after a week of almost daily exchange of fire on the Line of Control (LoC) in the Mendhar sector.

Forces on both sides of the line of control have been under severe tension that had built up after the brutal killing of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani Army regulars last week.

''The Pakistani side confirmed that orders have been passed to troops to observe the ceasefire strictly. An understanding was reached not to allow the situation to escalate,'' an Indian Army spokesperson said, adding that the two officials spoke for close to 10 minutes.

The issue of a Pakistani soldier being killed in a crossborder exchange on Tuesday has also been settled after talks with Indian DGMO Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia, who is learnt to have pointed out that the Indian side had only retaliated to a provocation.

''They complained about their casualty and we told them that while we had been exercising restraint in the past, we have been forced to give a response due to continuing violations of the ceasefire from Pakistan,'' an Army officer said.