DG Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar Friday categorically rejected as misleading the Indian Army chief’s claim that the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) was holding because they negotiated from a “position of strength”.
Gen Babar said it was agreed only due to Pakistan’s concerns about the safety of people of Kashmir living on both sides of the LoC.
The statement issued from the DG ISPR’s official Twitter account came in response to a comment by India’s top military commander who claimed credit for maintaining almost a year-long ceasefire along the LoC.
“Ceasefire with Pakistan continues to hold, as we negotiated from a position of strength,” Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukhand Narvane had said on Thursday. Speaking about the ongoing military stand-off with China on India’s northern border, Narvane said the “developments adequately underscore the requirement for ready and capable forces, with an optimal component of boots on ground backed by modern technology”.
However, the Pakistan military spokesperson rejected the claim and said no side should misconstrue it as their strength or other’s weakness.
The director generals of military operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan, after reviewing the situation along the LoC and all other sectors, had agreed to re-enforce the ceasefire which went into effect from February 25, 2021.
The two DGs of military operations had made hotline contact in the interest of achieving “mutually beneficial and sustainable peace”, a statement by the ISPR had said. It had said that they agreed to address each other’s core issues and concerns which had the propensity to disturb peace and lead to violence.
Both sides had agreed for strict observance of all agreements, understandings and cease firing along the LOC and all other sectors.
