Breaking the deadlock: Pakistan to offer India new CBMs

Proposals include restoring 2003 truce, not issuing strong statements at official-level

ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE:

After months of belligerent rhetoric and sabre-rattling, the administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is sending its top diplomat on foreign policy to Pakistan tomorrow (March 3). And Islamabad is expected to propose a series of new confidence-building measures (CBMs) in an effort to put the rollercoaster relationship back on track.

The new CBMs include a proposal to restore the 2003 ceasefire agreement between the two archrivals along their de facto and de jure borders where sporadic outbreak of hostilities have bedeviled their relations in recent months.



India’s Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar is scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on March 3 for a two-day visit. A senior official said Pakistan was ready to restore the sanctity of the 2003 ceasefire agreement as it could not afford tensions along its eastern border and the Line of Control (LoC) at a time when its troops were fighting terrorism in the tribal areas.

On Thursday, army chief General Raheel Sharif accused India of distracting Pakistan from its battle against terrorists by resorting to ‘unprovoked’ firing along the LoC and working boundary.

The official told The Express Tribune that Pakistan would offer an end to months-long hostilities along the LoC and working boundary. “The proposal is part of CBMs Pakistan intends to put forward during the foreign secretary-level talks in Islamabad,” said the official who spoke to The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Other proposals include an understanding to avoid public statements against each other at the official level. “It really vitiates atmosphere when strong statements are issued at the official level,” the official said.

The two neighbours have been trading not just fire but also belligerent statements against each other. According to the official, an agreement on not issuing statements against each other would ensure diplomacy between the two countries was not conducted through the media.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz hoped that the Indian foreign secretary’s visit would lower tensions between the two hostile neighbours. Talking to reporters at the Shahid Barki Institute of Public Policy on Sunday, Aziz said it was a good sign that Pakistan and India have resumed dialogue and hoped it would help improve the situation.  Aziz pointed out that it was India that had suspended dialogue with Pakistan in August last year. “And the process was revived after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and invited him to resume talks from where they were suspended,” he added.

Aziz said all issues, including Kashmir dispute, would be discussed with India in the foreign secretary-level talks. “These negotiations will help to lower hostilities along the working boundary,” he added. “The prime ministers of India and Pakistan can also meet at some point after the resumption of talks.”

Referring to India’s defence budget which was jacked up by 8%, Aziz said Pakistan did not want to enter an arm race in the region. “However, it is important to keep balance in conventional weaponry. The Pakistan government has fulfilled defence needs despite difficulties and will keep doing so in the future,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 2^nd, 2015.