LoC tensions: Islamabad calls for early meeting of DGMOs

FO spokesperson says Pakistani leadership wants friendly relations with India.

ISLAMABAD:

Islamabad on Friday called for an early meeting of senior military officials from Pakistan and India to defuse tensions across the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border.

“We believe the decision of the two prime ministers about the meeting of the directors general military operations (DGMOs) must be implemented immediately to resolve the matter,” Foreign Office spokesperson Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry told a weekly news briefing.

Chaudhry said that continuing ceasefire violations by Indian forces at the LoC and working boundary was a matter of ‘grave concern’.

“The present leadership wants good neighbourly relations with India. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has gone to every length to send positive signals,” he added, rejecting allegations that Pakistan was responsible for the ongoing tensions with India.



The two premiers had agreed in September to lower tensions along the border by directing their respective DGMOs to work out a plan for restoring the 2003 ceasefire agreement.

However, incidents of firing at the LoC and the working boundary have increased over the past few weeks with both sides blaming each other for the escalation.

The spokesman cautioned that tensions along the LoC were undermining peace efforts. The rare face-to-face talks between senior military officials from the two neighbours are expected to take place by the end of this month.

However, Chaudhry said there was no update on the meeting yet. “We hope the military officials can meet soon and resolve this matter,” he added.

PM US visit ‘highly successful’

The spokesman described Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s recent visit to Washington as ‘highly successful’.

He said the prime minister focused on all issues of interest and concern to Pakistan, including economic growth, US cooperation to solve energy problems, enhancing trade cooperation, counter terrorism, regional stability and striking a balance in the bilateral relationship based on mutual respect.

He said the premier had forcefully articulated the country’s strong opposition to drone strikes in the tribal areas. “We do hope drone strikes will end,” he added.

The spokesman strongly defended the government’s strategy to persuade the US to halt the controversial campaign in the tribal areas.

“The strategy is working and we should give it some time. Hopefully, we will have a good solution to it,” he insisted. He also denied recent report appearing in the Washington Post that Pakistani authorities for years secretly endorsed the CIA-piloted drone programme.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2013.