Semblance of sanity returns as Pakistan agrees to flag meeting

Hopes of defusing tension along the Line of Control (LoC) have risen after the Pakistani army agreed to a Brigadier-level flag meeting at the Chakan-da-Bagh crossing in Jammu’s Poonch sector on Monday.

“The Pakistani army has responded to our request for a meeting. It will be a Brigadier-level meeting, which will be held at Chakan-da-Bagh around 12pm on Monday,” Colonel RK Palta, defence spokesperson at Jammu, told DNA.

The presence of Brigadier-level officers will be significant because previous meetings to resolve crises following ceasefire violations have always been handled by local commanders from both sides.

Indian army had sent five messages to the Pakistani side to hold a flag meeting to de-escalate tension that gripped the LoC after the brutal killing of two Indian soldiers and cross-border firing last week.

Sources said the Indian army is expected to lodge a protest against the mutilation and beheading of Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh of 13 Rajputana Rifles. The head of Lance Naik Hemraj is still missing and army sources suspect that Pakistani soldiers had taken it away as a trophy after the killings.

A senior army officer said the flag meeting will discuss not just local military issues of cross-border firing and infiltration, but also confidence-building measures like cross-border trade and travel.

For traders, much is riding on the way the meeting pans out. On January 10, Pakistan had closed down trade and travel on the Chakan-da-bagh-Rawalakote route in Poonch. “Tomatoes loaded in 64 PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir)-bound trucks are rotting. We hope that our trade will resume on the Poonch-Rawalakote route,” said Pawan Anand, president of Cross-LoC Traders Association, Chakan-da-Bagh.

Besides, the issue of stranded passengers is likely to be raised at the flag meeting. Pakistan had also suspended the bus service between Poonch and Rawalkot. “We have a list of 58 Pakistani nationals whose stay permits have lapsed,” said Abdul Hamid Sheikh, custodian of LoC Trade Centre at Chakan-da-Bagh.

In the Kashmir valley, the army directed all ranks to maintain the highest levels of operational readiness. “Our soldiers, whether on the LoC or in the hinterland, have displayed outstanding courage, valour and discipline while braving harsh weather, enemy firing or fighting terrorists (sic),” said Major General Rajesh Arya, chief of staff, 15 corps headquarters.