Asking Pakistan to stop ceasefire violations along LoC, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said people on both sides of the border were bearing the brunt of it and the incidents will not improve bilateral relations between the two countries.
"The best thing is, we (India and Pakistan) should accept and respect the ceasefire and ensure safety of people living on two sides of the border," Omar told reporters during an assessment of flood-hit areas in Kathua district today.
The Chief Minister was responding to questions on ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) and prospects of improving relations between the two countries.
"People living close to LoC have to suffer...Whether it is from this side or the other...They have to bear the brunt of ceasefire violations," he said.
"This (ceasefire violation) is nothing new...We have been repeatedly saying that leaders of India and Pakistan ...Accept ceasefire...For people's benefit (living close to the LoC on both sides)," Omar said.
"I cannot understand what Pakistan achieves by breaking ceasefire ... Wherever they violate ceasefire, we strongly retaliate and they (Pakistan) suffer losses," the Chief Minister said.
The 225-km long LoC in Poonch-Rajouri sector has witnessed daily firing since August 10 with over 28 ceasefire violations this month alone.
There have been over 80 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops till now from January 1 this year.
Replying to another question on India's hope in the Nawaz Sharif government for improvement of Indo-Pak relations, Omar said, "How much hope we will keep in the Nawaz Sharif government depends on several factors, as Pakistan is not controlled by the civilian government alone...There are others too...The ISI, Army and other factors.
