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| Indian and Pakistani Border (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Ankit Panda
Indian and Pakistani military officials held a rare meeting at the end of 2013. Did it accomplish anything?
After a tumultuous year, top Indian and Pakistani military officials held a rare meeting to round out 2013. The Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both India and Pakistan met on the Pakistani side of the Wagah border – the first such meeting in 14 years, since the end of the Kargil War – to “discuss ways to ensure peace along Kashmir’s de facto border.” The meeting was somewhat surprising given the marked decline in relations between India and Pakistan against the backdrop of several ceasefire violations by both sides on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir.
The joint statement (affixed below) was relatively curt and full of predictable platitudes. It noted who led each delegation, that the meeting was held in a “cordial, positive and constructive atmosphere,” and finally offered a few vague guarantees that the LoC and the thus far ineffective hotline between New Delhi and Islamabad would be rendered more “effective and result oriented.”
The third point in the joint statement is perhaps the sole concrete outcome of the meeting: “two flag meetings between Brigade Commanders will be held on the Line of Control in the near future, to ensure maintenance of peace and tranquility along the Line of Control.” Of course, it’s easy to read this assurance with a cynical eye, particularly given the political response in India to the ever-increasing number of ceasefire violations along the LoC. Ceasefire violations in 2013 more than doubled in number compared to the total number in 2012. It remains to be seen if a consultation between the DGMOs will have any actual perceivable impact on the state of matters on the LoC.
Read the full story at The Diplomat