It looks like India and Pakistan now are trying to talk to each other and strike a stance for peace in the near future. Amid a war of words over surgical strikes across the Line of Control and the arrest of a soldier in Pakistani territory, India may have discussed steps for de-escalation with high-level contacts in Islamabad.
It is reported that a “separate channel” emerged between Ajit Doval the advisor to the Indian Prime Minister 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.
External Affairs Ministry officials refused to confirm or deny that National Security Adviser Ajit Doval held talks with Pakistan as he had a “separate channel” not routed through the Ministry.
Reports of de-escalation emerged after the Pakistani 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.
Aziz denied that the surgical strikes had taken place, and said 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 .
