US urges Pakistan, India to reduce tensions bilaterally

WASHINGTON: The United States of America has urged Pakistan and India to work bilaterally to try to reduce tensions.

To a question about what kind of diplomatic efforts are going on from US side to calm down the situation when both the countries have the nuclear assets and nuclear bombs, John Kirby, the State Department Spokesperson, in a daily press briefing said, “US remains in close communication with our counterparts in Pakistan and India, and again, as we’ve said before, urge them both to work bilaterally to try to reduce tensions.”

After a gap of 13 years, India resorted to the use of artillery barrages against Pakistan last week, further escalating the violations at the Line of Control (LoC), with the result that seven Pakistani soldiers lost their lives on Sunday.

Pakistan retaliated by firing back, resulting in 11 Indian soldiers being taken out in the Bhimber sector. The artillery barrages deliver massed artillery fire from a few or many batteries while firing at a continuous and steady rate, using high explosive or shrapnel shells.

The last time that Indian troops launched artillery barrages against the Pakistan Army was in 1999 during the Kargil operation when it recaptured Tiger Hill, a mountain in Drass-Kargil area, where according to Indian media reports each artillery battery fired over one round per minute for 17 days continuously.

Pakistan has reiterated time and again that India’s is denying access to the United Nations Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) that has been mandated to maintain peace and tranquillity on the LoC and the working boundary.