India and Pakistan agree to ceasefire on LoC
The understanding between the DGMOs comes after a year of repeated ceasefire violations that raised tensions and poisoned relations between Pakistan and India. An attack on a Pakistani check post in January unleashed a chain of attacks, counter attacks and accusations. The beheading of an Indian soldier denied by the Pakistan army led to strongly worded statements from the Indian political and military leadership. As the border incidents continued the entire LoC rang with crossfire. This brought to naught the goodwill cultivated through exchange of trade delegations, people to people contacts, and government level talks that culminated in parleys between the two foreign ministers last year. Talks between the two prime ministers in New York in September led to an agreement to put an end to the tension on the LoC. It took three months however for the proposed meeting between the DGMOs to take place.
On the directions of the government, DGMO Pakistan invited his Indian counterpart for talks. It was agreed during the Tuesday meeting that both sides would take a number of steps to keep the ceasefire accord intact. As the joint statement put it the DGMOs were committed to maintain the sanctity and ceasefire on the Line of Control. Both sides agreed to ensure that there was no violation of the ceasefire in the future. The DGMOs undertook to make the weekly contact on the hotline “more effective and result-oriented”. Both agreed to re-energise the existing mechanisms. Challenges persist, the most significant being any high profile action by non state actors.
Silencing of the guns on the LoC is no more than a first step towards normalisation. That it took so long to initiate the firefighting exercise indicates the depth of the differences between the neighbourng countries. There is a need, after the meeting of the DGMOs, to take further measures to improve the ties so that the long suspended comprehensive dialogue can be restarted. With the Indian elections due in May next year, the lame duck Congress administration may not be able to take any courageous decision for fear of this becoming an election issue. There is a need on the part of the government and army to realise that Pakistan needs badly to improve its relations with the neigbouring countries, India being at the top of the list. The next few months should be utilised by both to reach a consensus on measures that need to be taken in the direction.