Exchange of fire on LoC
There was exchange of messages conveying warm feelings between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh soon after the PML-N won the electoral victory in May. Within days of assuming office Sharif appointed a seasoned former diplomat to help revive the back channel talks. In his interview with the Daily Telegraph the new prime minister made it clear that he saw his election victory as a “mandate for peace with India”. At a couple of occasions later Sharif vowed to restart the dialogue where it was left at his historic meeting with Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999. There was a widespread perception that the stalled composite dialogue between the two sides would be restarted within a short period. The dream was shattered when border incidents once again started miring the friendly environment as had happened earlier in January this year when both sides were preparing to take major steps towards normalisation. Obviously the spoilers on both sides are again at work to foil the fresh peace offensive.
The 2003 ceasefire between the nuclear-armed neighbours has by and large been held all these years. This has happened despite sporadic though relatively minor incidents on the LoC. What is different this time is that border skirmishes have escalated significantly and the exchange of fire has occurred at places which had never been affected before. During the last few weeks a number of civilians and men in uniform have died in firing and mortar attacks from both sides.
During their talks in New York last month Sharif and Singh agreed to task their respective DGMOs to come up with a clear plan to restore ceasefire along the LoC. It was decided that the two officers would meet soon. Four weeks after the talks, the proposed meetings have yet to be held. In fact there has been an increase in the border incidents after Sharif-Manmohan talks. On Thursday, Manmohan Singh expressed disappointment, putting the blame on the Pakistani side. On Friday, Pakistan government called for an immediate meeting between the military officials of the two countries. Blame game or wringing of hands would not do. What is required on the part of the political leadership on both sides of the border to assert their will effectively to put an end to the ongoing muscle-flexing. Unless they do this both the countries would be losers.
