ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army accused Indian army chief on Monday of making inflammatory statements that could damage efforts for lowering tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

“Accusations and provocative statements are regrettable and counter-productive,” military spokesman Maj Gen Asim Bajwa said.

He was responding to a statement by Indian Army Chief General Bikram Singh at the Annual Press Conference ahead of Army Day in India in which he had said that his troops had avenged the deaths of Indian soldiers on the LoC and that the ceasefire at the de-facto border would depend on how Pakistan acted.

Gen Singh’s statement came on the eve of a meeting of the trade ministers of India and Pakistan on the sidelines of a Saarc meeting in Delhi in which the two leaders would review the progress made by their countries towards trade liberalisation and prepare a roadmap for completing the process.

The trade ministers’ meeting is taking place after a long pause in the peace dialogue between the two countries following skirmishes on the LoC, but doesn’t mark the re-start of the stalled process.

Gen Singh quoting Pakistani media reports of 10 soldiers having been killed in clashes on the LoC last year, said: “Let me assure you that action has been taken... This (killings of Pakistani soldiers) has happened due to firing of your soldiers on ground.”

On respecting ceasefire along the LoC in future, he said: “It depends, if rules are followed by our neighbours, we follow the rules. If rules are broken, then obviously we cannot stick to the rules. Even we are going to break the rules.”

Gen Bajwa, in his rejoinder to Gen Singh, said: “Pakistan Army respects the ceasefire agreement in letter and spirit.”

He said the Indian army chief’s statement was “contrary to the facts on ground”.

Gen Bajwa recalled that the situation along the LoC had improved after the meeting of the DGMOs and hoped that the atmosphere would be maintained.