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Indian-controlled Kashmir Chief Minister asks Pakistan to stop ceasefire violations

17 October 2012 18:32 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Indian-controlled Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Wednesday urged Pakistan to stop ceasefire violations along the line-of- control (LoC) as retaliation from the Indian side could lead to an unending skirmish between the two sides, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"I request them (Pakistan) to honor the ceasefire," Abdullah told reporters in region’s summer capital Srinagar on the sidelines of an official function. "We too have guns and mortars. If we also start firing, process won’t stop."

Three civilians were killed Tuesday after Pakistani troopers fired mortars towards a village close to LoC in Uri sector of frontier Baramulla district, around 110 km northwest of Srinagar city, Indian army said.

LoC is a de facto border that divides Kashmir into Indian and Pakistani controlled parts. The killing of civilians has triggered a panic among the residents living close to LoC in the area.

Indian army said Pakistani troops have been resorting to unprovoked firing in Uri sector since Oct. 3.

"When the ceasefire was on since last many years, why did they (Pakistan) violate it? Did they violate it to trigger trouble again or to promote infiltration? Does it (Pakistan) want to internationalize the Kashmir issue," Abdullah asked.

New Delhi and Islamabad in 2003 agreed to observe a ceasefire along the International Border and LoC in Kashmir. Though some violations have been reported on both sides, the ceasefire remains in effect.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan is claimed by both in full. Since their Independence from British, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.