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India, Pak break ice as foreign secy holds talks in Islamabad |
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NEW DELHI: Foreign secretary S Jaishankar broke the ice with Pakistan, opening talks with Islamabad after a gap of six months. Jaishankar met Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday and delivered a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who last month decided to resume talks with Islamabad as part of his Saarc outreach.
While both sides were tight-lipped about the contents of Modi's letter, sources said it focused on the need to rebuild peaceful, friendly ties between the two nations by removing trust deficit. Sources said they were satisfied with the outcome of the talks and that the two countries could look at more substantive engagements in the future.
India is also hoping to revive regular contacts between the border security forces on both sides to ensure peace on the border. A BSF-Pak Rangers consultation mechanism may be restarted, as well as other conversations. "We agreed that ensuring peace and tranquillity on the border was vital," Jaishankar said after meeting his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry.
Jaishankar addressed the issue of cross border terrorism and Mumbai trial in his meeting with Chaudhary. As reported by TOI on Tuesday, Chaudhary raised the issue of alleged Indian sponsorship of terrorism in Baluchistan and FATA, apart from the slow pace of Samjhauta investigations.
Jaishankar also met foreign policy adviser Sartaj Aziz and Tariq Fatemi during the day.
In Islamabad, the foreign secretary told journalists, the talks were held in constructive and positive atmosphere. "We engaged on each other's concerns and interests in an open manner. We agreed to work together to find common ground and narrow differences. I reiterated our known concerns on cross border terrorism, including on the Mumbai case."
Pakistan also sought to keep the focus on Kashmir in the talks. "I told my Indian counterpart that the leadership and people of Pakistan were deeply attached to the cause of Jammu & Kashmir and we need to make a concerted effort to resolve this dispute and indeed other disputes like Siachen, Sir Creek and water issues that could also be addressed through dialogue,'' said Chaudhary.
India wants to replicate the China border template with Pakistan. That is, intensify interactions between security forces and even DGMOs that would bring in a more peaceful border. The firing on the border, the government has concluded, is proving to be a bigger hindrance to normalizing bilateral ties, where the 2003 ceasefire has been one of the biggest confidence- building measures in operation. This ceasefire has frayed since early 2013 with regular firing and deaths of security personnel and civilians on both sides of the border-- extending from the LOC to the international boundary. Last week, the government told parliament, Pakistan's ceasefire violations numbered more than 685 times in the past eight months, claiming 24 lives.
Sources said India would proceed on greater engagement as the temperatures on the border come down. One of the first things that India wants to restore would be cross-LOC CBMs that have been agreed but have been hanging fire - the include more border connectivity with opening up roads like the Kargil-Skardu, more border trade and more popular contacts.
With a BJP-PDP government in operation in Jammu & Kashmir, there is greater incentive now to quieten the border. The border villages have faced the brunt of sustained shelling, losing people regularly.
A second message Jaishankar took with him to Pakistan concerned SAARC, which is a personal imperative of the PM. "I conveyed the expectations of our leadership on SAARC and their determination to forge a cooperative relationship with all our neighbours. We discussed ideas and initiatives to take SAARC forward. Pakistan will be the next SAARC Chair and India would like to work with Pakistan to help SAARC achieve its potential."
India has conveyed to Pakistan that connectivity and trade would be implemented in the Saarc region, even if Pakistan chose to stay away. India is pushing the BBIN sub-grouping (Bangadesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal), having taken steps to clear hurdles to connectivity between these four countries.
Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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