The home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has called for an urgent meeting with Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to discuss the ceasefire violation at the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir yesterday. As the country’s top leaders discuss the violence at the international border and mull the potential course of action going forward, this recent spate of violence from Pakistan which has impacted civilians the most on either side, raise many concerns.
The timing of these attacks is particularly intriguing. It follows the peace talks held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif on July 11 at Ufa, Russia. Shri Modi’s acceptance of Nawaz Sharif’s invite to visit Pakistan next year is seen by many foreign experts as a signal of revival of the peace procedure. However this attack surely derails the bonhomie that was initiated at Ufa, so do we read some ulterior motives in these attacks. Is it a kind of initiative to throw the peace efforts by the two countries out of gear? While the Indian Government and Military action is seen as a cohesive force following a singular line of action, we must remember that the same cannot be said or expected of Pakistan. It is common knowledge that the army and the ISI in Pakistan follow their own dictat and does not always act cohesively with the political forces.
It is important to note that any meaningful talks between the two countries would hold no relevance till these ceasefires and the cross border firing can be brought to a complete stop. While India has lodged its protest against the violation both in New Delhi and Islamabad, the Pakistani authorities has criticised India’s alleged violation of air space. It needs to be noted that the drone is question looks unlikely to be an Indian one. On the contrary it looks to be of a Chinese make which are commercially available as per the captured images.
The fact that these events happen just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu tomorrow stir an air of unease in the way the events have unfolded. What is particularly worrying is through July there have already been 9 instances of cease fire violation already. Though India has maintained a tough stance so far, it needs to be seen how India and Pakistan work towards ending these spates of violence before sitting across the table for any meaningful discussion.
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