Amid a war of words over the surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) and the arrest of a soldier in Pakistani territory, India may have discussed steps for de-escalation with high-level contacts in Islamabad.
External Affairs Ministry officials refused to confirm or deny that National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval held talks with Pakistan as he had a “separate channel” not routed through the Ministry.
Reports of de-escalation emerged after the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, told a television channel in Islamabad that after the ''surgical strikes'', Mr. Doval discussed the situation with his Pakistani counterpart, Nasir Khan Janjua.
Mr. Aziz denied that surgical strikes had taken place, saying the NSAs discussed reduction of tension on the LoC, which had flared up as the Kashmir issue was not being addressed. “Pakistan wants to reduce tension on the LoC and focus on Kashmir,” he was quoted by the TV channel.
Report of de-escalation is significant as Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised India’s past as a peaceful country on Sunday. “We never attacked any country or coveted territory of others. The world should acknowledge that we belong to that country that sacrificed for others,” Mr. Modi said while inaugurating the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in Delhi.
The “separate channel” emerged between Mr. Doval and Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Janjua in 2015 when they held a round of secret talks in Bangkok to break the deadlock over involving the separatists in dialogue. The talks were held against the backdrop of Pakistan’s insistence on including the separatists in talks. The secret talks were followed by declaration of a comprehensive bilateral dialogue between the two sides. However, it is not yet known if the NSA discussed the details of the surgical strikes.
India had blamed Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) for the Uri attack on September 18 and the January 2 Pathankot airbase attack. However, China, during the weekend, blocked India’s attempt to blacklist JeM leader Masood Azhar at the U.N. In an unusual move, Mr. Doval met the newly-appointed Chinese Ambassador, Luo Zhaohui, on Monday, as reports came in that China was blocking India’s anti-terror attempts at the U.N.
The surgical strikes figured prominently at the meeting of the parliamentary parties on Monday in Islamabad, attended by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman, Pakistan Peoples Party; Maulana Fazlur Rehan (Jamiat Ulema E Islam-F); and Shireen Mazari of Pakistan Tehreek E Insaf.
The meeting was called by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after India announced the anti-terror operations that targeted terrorists. The political parties displayed a united front and issued a 20-point statement after the meeting.
Referring to the surgical strikes, the statement said, “... we reject Indian efforts to shift the focus from its brutal atrocities to suppress the indigenous uprising of the Kashmiri people for liberation from Indian occupation to false claims of cross border terrorism.”
