Pakistan, India NSAs agree to reduce tensions across border: Sartaj Aziz

Amid brewing tensions between India and Pakistan, Pakistan's top diplomat, Sartaj Aziz, today said that the two South Asian countries have decided to reduce tensions, Indian news agency PTI reported. 

Referring to the first contact between the national security advisors  (NSA)  of the two countries following the September 18 Uri attack in Kashmir that killed at least 19 Indian soldiers, the adviser to Pakistan's Prime Minister on national security and foreign Affairs, Aziz, informed that India's NSA Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Nasir Janjua spoke over the phone and talked about diffusing tensions along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between the two countries. 

"Pakistan wants to reduce tensions on LoC and focus on Kashmir," Pakistani broadcaster Geo News quoted him as saying.

Indian Army last week said that it had carried out surgical strikes in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Wednesday across the terror launch pads. The surgical strikes were viewed as a retaliation to the militant attacks in Uri. 

A militant attack was also reported at the headquarter of Baramulla area of Kashmir on Sunday night that killed one security personnel. 

Aziz also referred to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's recent remarks at United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and said that Sharif had explained to the world leaders that the incidents of border tensions would continue between both countries without the resolution of Kashmir dispute. 

Indo-Pak border skirmishes 

Meanwhile, both the nations continue to accuse each other of violating ceasefire along the Indo-Pak border. 

Indian Army today claimed that Pakistan targeted army posts and civilian post areas in the border town of Poonch, Reuters reported. 

Public relations officer of Indian defence ministry, Manish Mehta, was quoted as saying by the international news agency that Indian forces gave a befitting reply to the ceasefire violations.

"Pakistan army carried out unprovoked ceasefire violations in Poonch sector in Shahpur area, using small arms, automatic (weapons) and mortar (shells). We have given them a befitting reply and ceasefire violation is still continuing," Mehta said in Jammu city. 

"Presently, we don't have any report of loss to civilians. However, we have not suffered any kind of causality or any kind of loss," he added. 

While on the other hand, AFP quoted a statement by Pakistan's military that read: "Indian troops yet again resorted to unprovoked firing after midnight at the Line of Control (LoC) in Iftikharabad sector and Pakistani troops befittingly responded."  According to the statement, the exchange ended in the morning. 

(WION with inputs from agencies)