ISLAMABAD, October 3 : Pakistan and India have agreed to reduce tensions after their National Security Advisors spoke over phone, top Pakistani diplomat Sartaj Aziz said on Monday about the first such contact after the Uri attack and India's retaliatory surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC.
Aziz said a contact was established between India's NSA Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Nasir Janjua after recent tension between the two countries on the Line of Control (LoC).
They agreed to reduce tensions on the LoC, Aziz said about the contact between the two NSAs for the first time after the September 18 Uri terror attack+ by Pakistani militants that soured ties.
"Pakistan wants to reduce tensions on LoC and focus on Kashmir," Geo News quoted him as saying.
He said that India wants to divert the world's attention from Kashmir by escalating tensions.
Last week, Indian Army carried out surgical strikes+ on seven terror launch pads across the LoC in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, inflicting heavy casualties on terrorists waiting to sneak into India.
The surgical strikes came days after Pakistani terrorists stormed an Army camp in Kashmir's Uri, killing 19 soldiers.
Pakistan has denied that the surgical strikes took place on Thursday and have called it "cross-border" firing.
Talking about Sharif's recent US visit, Aziz said the Prime Minister had explained to the world leaders that incidents of border tensions would continue between both countries without the resolution of Kashmir dispute.
Russia welcomes surgical strike
Days after it asked lslamabad to take "effective" steps to stop the activities of terrorist groups on its territory, Russia today said it "welcomes" the surgical strike by India as every country has a right to defend itself.
Russia's Ambassador to New Delhi Alexander M Kadakin also said his country had always been with India in fighting cross-border terrorism.
"Greatest human rights violations take place when terrorists attack military installations and attack peaceful civilians in India. We welcome the surgical strike. Every country has right to defend itself," Russian embassy quoted Kadakin as having told a news channel.
He also assured India that it does not need to worry about Russia-Pakistan joint military exercise, saying it did not take place in "Pakistan-Occupied Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir".
Last week, a Russian Foreign Ministry statement had said Russia stands for "decisive struggle" against terrorism in all its manifestations.
"We are concerned with the aggravation lately of the situation along the line of control between India and Pakistan.
"We are calling on the parties not to allow any escalation of tension and to settle the existing problems by political and diplomatic means through negotiations. We stand for decisive struggle against terrorism in all its manifestations.
"We expect that the Government of Pakistan should take effective steps in order to stop the activities of terrorist groups in the territory of the country," the statement said.
