Friday, January 21 2005 19:40 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: India today (Jan 21, 2005) said it has taken up with Pakistan the incident of mortar shelling and firing from across LoC (Line of Control) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir late last night and Pakistani authorities has agreed to look into it.

"I enquired today and also last night about the shelling from across the border. Our Director General of Military Operations talked to his Pakistani counterpart. They said that they had no knowledge about it but agreed to look into it", Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters in Kolkata.

He said he had also asked the Defence Secretary Ajay Bikram Singh to check up with Islamabad.

"Unless we get the full details, we do not why such shellings were made. Let consultations take place at the operations levels", the Defence Minister said.

A flag meeting had already taken place and both the sides had agreed there should not be escalation of tension along the border, he said.

Mukherjee said, "Both sides should maintain restraint and the Confidence Building Measures (CBM's) should not be disturbed.

Asked whether the recent incidents of shelling from across the LOC was by the militant groups, Mukherjee said, "It may be".