The much awaited meeting between the key army commanders of India and Pakistan began at no man's land at Wagah/Attari border on Tuesday after a gap of 14 years to work out mechanism for ensuring peace and tranquility at the Line of Control (LoC).

Both India and Pakistan agreed to hold a meeting of their brigade commanders in the near future as part of measures to prevent ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to sources in the Indian Defence Ministry, the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt General Vinod Bhatia crossed over from the Attari border check post and was received by Pakistan DGMO Major Gen Aamer Riaz.

A Brigadier and three Lieutenant Colonels from each side also participated in the talks.

The DGMOs of the two countries were meeting for the first time in 14 years. They last met in 1999 after the Kargil war.
In the recent months the LoC has seen several ceasefire violations and violent incidents. Five Indian soldiers were killed in an attack in August, leading to tension along the LoC.

Pakistan's Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that the decision to hold the meeting between the Pakistan and Indian DGMOs was taken on political level.

On the agenda for discussion are violations of ceasefire at the LoC as well as infiltration and the need for maintaining ceasefire and bringing back normalcy.

The usual practice for the DGMOs is to talk on the hotline every Tuesday, but this time they are meeting at no-man's land at the Wagah/Attari border.

Pakistani media reports have said Islamabad is expected to seek a bigger role for UN military observers deployed along the Line of Control.

UNMOGIP was established in 1949 under the resolution passed by the world body's Security Council to supervise ceasefire along the LoC.

The meeting between the DGMOs of the two countries is taking place three months after the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif at their meeting September 29 at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York decided on the DGMO meeting in view of the frequent violations of ceasefire along the LoC.

Pakistan had initially proposed to include the Foreign Ministry officials in the meeting of senior military officials but India had rejected it.

However, Pakistan Foreign Office had said last week, 'For the time being, this meeting will be between the DGMOs but our proposal is still on the table'.