Daily Times

LAHORE: Pak-India friendship initiative Aaghaz-e-Dosti on Saturday welcomed decision where Director General of Military Operations of Pakistan and India last week talked on hotline and reiterated their commitment towards 2003 ceasefire agreement.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on May 29, the two DGMOs reviewed the situation along the Line of Control (LOC) and agreed to fully implement the ceasefire agreement 2003.

“Both DGMO reviewed the prevailing situation along the line of control and working boundary and mutually agreed to undertake sincere measures to improve the existing situation ensuring peace and avoidance of hardships to the civilians along the borders,” ISPR had said in a statement.

To this end, the Aaghaz-e-Dosti lauded the two parties for working for sustainable peace between the two countries.

“This progress must be seen as positive and it would help a lot to people on both sides particularly to border population where civilians deaths were increased in recent times with the increased incidents of ceasefire violations reported by both sides,” the statement said.

Members of the friendship initiative thanked the governments of both Pakistan and India, the officials, army, intelligence officers and diplomats for working to implement the ceasefire agreement.

They also thanked members from the civil society, peace groups and the local people for their efforts to register appeals with their governments in this regard.

It was also urged that the officers from both the sides should utilise the hotline and flag meetings to be in frequent communication with one another.

Some of the people who endorsed the appeal were journalist Raza Rumi writer Ammara Ahmad, journalist Beena Sarwar, advocate Hasnain Ashraf, human rights activist Mohammad Tahseen, senior, writer Reema Abbasi, artist and academician Saleema Hashmi and others from Pakistan.

From the Indian side, ex-Indian naval chief Admiral L Ramdas, feminist Abha Bhaiya, Kamla Bhasin, journalist Anuradha Bhasin, activist Asha Hans, journalist Bharat Bhushan, Brig (retd) Rahul Bhonsle, academician Dr Dhananjay Tripathi, Magsaysay Awardee Dr Sandeep Pandey endorsed the appeal.