Indo-Pak Talks Necessary To End Bloodshed Along LoC: Hurriyat

The Hurriyat Conference on Saturday said India and Pakistan should hold talks to resolve the Kashmir issue and to stop the "senseless bloodshed" of people living along the Line of Control (LoC).

In a statement, the Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Hurriyat faction expressed grief and dismay at the escalation along the LoC in which several lives were lost on Friday. "Hurriyat once again urges the governments of India and Pakistan to give up belligerence and come to the table to resolve the J&K dispute for times to come and end the senseless bloodshed of humans on all sides," it said. The party said the death of innocent Kashmiri civilians on both sides of the LoC, as well as that of the soldiers of both the countries "caught in the lingering conflict" is very sad and shameful.

The Pakistani Army resorted to heavy firing and shelling on Friday, targeting villages and forward areas along the LoC in which in which five security personnel and six civilians were killed. The Indian troops retaliated strongly, killing eight Pakistani soldiers and injuring 12 others, officials said.