ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE: With Indias Foreign Secretary- S Jaishankar due to arrive in Islamabad on March 3 for a two-day visit, Pakistan is reportedly working on proposing a series of new confidence-building measures (CBMs) in a proactive effort to return derailed talks back on track.
According to reports appearing in Pakistani media quoting diplomatic sources, the new CBMs include a proposal to restore the 2003 ceasefire agreement between the two countries along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) also called the Working Boundary (WB) in Pakistan, where sporadic outbreak of hostilities have plummeted bilateral ties recently. A senior official has been anonymously quoted as saying that Pakistan is ready to restore the sanctity of the 2003 ceasefire agreement as it could not afford tensions along its eastern border and the Line of Control (LoC) at a time when its troops are already engaged in a full-fledged operation in the tribal areas.
Last week, Pakistans Army chief- General Raheel Sharif accused India of distracting Pakistan from its battle against terrorists by resorting to unprovoked firing along the LoC and WB.
It is now being reported that Pakistan would offer an end to the months-long hostilities along the borders with India. The proposal is part of CBMs Pakistan intends to put forward during the foreign secretary-level talks in Islamabad, an official said.
Other proposals include an understanding to avoid public statements against each other at the official level because of the sense that when strong statements are issued at the official level It really vitiates the atmosphere.
Pakistani officials are of the view that an agreement on not issuing statements against each other would ensure diplomacy between the two countries is not conducted through the media.
Meanwhile, Sartaj Aziz, the Pakistan Prime Ministers Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs has welcomed the resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan as a good sign. Addressing media at the Shahid Barki Institute of Public Policy on Sunday, 1 March, Aziz said, it was India that had suspended dialogue with Pakistan in August last year, and the process was revived after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and invited him to resume talks from where they were suspended.
He reiterated the line taken by Pakistans Foreign Office that all issues, including Kashmir dispute, would be discussed with India in the foreign secretary-level talks. These negotiations will help to lower hostilities along the working boundary, he said, with the optimism that The prime ministers of India and Pakistan can also meet at some point after the resumption of talks.
Commenting on the increase in Indias budgetary allocation of 8% in the defence sector, Aziz said Pakistan did not intend to enter an arms race in the region, but that, it is important to keep a balance in conventional weaponry in the region. — EJ
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
ACT NOW |
MONTHLY | Rs 100 | |
YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |