ISLAMABAD – National Security Advisers (NSAs) of Pakistan and India metsecretly in Bangkok on Dec 26, possibly to avoid more serious missteps,news reports claimed on Sunday.
According to the Indian Express, the meeting between retired Lt Gen NasserKhan Janjua and Ajit Doval took place at a ‘neutral venue’ in the Thaicapital. The venue and date of the meeting were not linked to trip ofJadhav’s wife and mother to Islamabad and had been decided between the twosides earlier in December. It was, as the Express reported, a“pre-scheduled meeting”.
The newspaper said the Bangkok meeting, which was not confirmed by anyofficial source, came in the wake of a sharp statement by Gen Janjua onIndia-Pakistan relations. On Dec 18, addressing a national security seminarin Islamabad, Gen Janjua, according to the newspaper, had cautioned: “Thestability of the South Asian region hangs in a delicate balance, and thepossibility of nuclear war cannot be ruled out.”
He also reportedly stated that special efforts were needed to maintainbalance in South Asia, which was “a mistake away” from a major catastrophe.
In stark contrast to the media handling of the two NSAs’ meeting by Indianofficials, it was confirmed to Dawn by a senior National Security Divisionofficial, who said it took place on Wednesday (Dec 27).
Janjua raises issue of targeting of civilians along LoC; Doval talks ofinfiltration
According to the Pakistani official, the context of the meeting wasimportant as it followed a goodwill gesture by Islamabad of allowing Jadhavto meet his family members, although the event degenerated into adiplomatic spat over how the meeting was conducted by the Pakistani side.But when seen together, it becomes clear that both sides are secretlyworking to mend fences.
“The meeting was good. Mr Doval’s tone and tenor was friendly andpositive,” the source who had been briefed about the meeting disclosed.
Both sides had agreed to keep the meeting secret, but once the Indian side“did not live up to its commitment” and information about it beganappearing in Indian media, Pakistani officials too started sharing theirimpressions about the interaction.
They thought the meeting was useful and said it might help in restartingsome sort of engagement at the diplomatic level as well.
The Indian Express appeared to link the Bangkok meeting with Gen Janjua’smeeting on Thursday with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at his JatiUmra residence in Raiwind. The meeting reportedly lasted five hours, andincluded discussions on matters of national security, relations withPakistan’s neighbouring countries and terrorism.
Dawn had cited a PML-N leader quoting Sharif as saying at the meeting:“There is a dire need to improve ties with the neighbouring countries.”
It added that the former prime minister said he always talked aboutfriendly relations with Pakistan’s neighbours because, without them,problems being faced by the people of the region could not be solved. “Waris no solution to any problem,” he said.
It was not the first meeting between the two NSAs in a third country. InDecember 2015, the two men, along with the two foreign secretaries, hadmet, again in Bangkok, which was not revealed till after the meeting. Thatwas followed, within days, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprisestopover in Lahore, to wish Mr Sharif on his birthday on December 25.
Tuesday’s meeting in Bangkok, which was believed to have lasted more thantwo hours, was kept under wraps, but it was believed that the Indian NSAraised the issue of infiltration of militants into Kashmir from across theLine of Control (LoC) with the alleged support of the Pakistan army.
The LoC has been very active this year, with more than 820 ceasefireviolations recorded so far, the Express claimed. “This has included use ofindirect firing weapons and cross-LoC raids by Border Action Teams. TheIndian Army has lost 31 soldiers on the LoC in 2017,” it said.
New Delhi has offered a ‘humanitarian pact’ to Pakistan, which allows theelderly and minor children who inadvertently cross the border to be quicklyreturned to their home country. Islamabad has not responded to the offer,which is believed to have been reiterated by Mr Doval on Tuesday.
Pakistan’s handling of Hafiz Saeed, who has been freed from police custodyand is attempting to join mainstream politics, and Lashkar-e-Taibacommander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi remaining out on bail, is also assumed tohave figured in the conversation, the Express said.
Gen Janjua is believed to have raised the issue of unrest in India-heldKashmir, besides alleged targeting of civilians in villages along the LoCin Azad Kashmir.
Meanwhile, a Pakistani analyst said that notwithstanding behind-the-scenesmoves for lowering the tensions, India was persisting with its hardlinepolicy on Pakistan. The Pakistani pilgrims intending to participate in theUrs of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, being held from Jan 1 to Jan 8, were notgiven visas.