Wikileaks: US wanted to preserve LoC truce
Diplomatic cables reveal that US was keen on keeping the peace between Pakistan and India in 2005.
NEW DELHI:
Terming the ceasefire between India and Pakistan in Held Jammu & Kashmir as an important achievement, classified United States documents released by Wikileaks revealed that Washington was keen on 'preserving' the truce, The Economic Times reported on Friday.
A 2005 US diplomatic cable to under the heading 'preserving the LoC ceasefire', the then Ambassador to India, David C Mulford urged the Bush Administration to issue a statement to support the truce announced by New Delhi & Islamabad on November 24, 2003.
"We urge the Department to issue a firm statement supporting the ceasefire; reiterating our unequivocal opposition to cross-border terrorist infiltration; condemning the recent shelling and reaffirming our support for the Composite Dialogue process," Mulford urged the US government in the cable sent in January 2005. The cable is one of 138,887 released by Wikileaks on August 30.
"The LoC ceasefire is one of the most important achievements in the slow but steady Indo-Pak rapprochement process that began in mid-2003 with former PM Vajpayee's 'Hand of Friendship' speech, but without US engagement that accomplishment could soon flounder," Mulford reported.
He appreciated response of New Delhi & Islamabad in the aftermath of two ceasefire violations in three days in January 2005 terming it as "measured" and "serious". "Despite shelling of Indian side of LoC twice in three days (January 18 & 20), both governments have responded in a measured and serious manner, conscious that 14 months of silence along the LOC has comes to symbolize de-escalation of Indo-Pak conflict, while providing tens of thousands of Kashmiris the longest respite from daily shelling since the 1999 Kargil War," he added.
"The ceasefire... has fuelled hopes for broader progress in military CBMs. These instances of shelling, if they do not stop, could spill over into Composite Dialogue and negatively affect broad sense of goodwill that exists in India for fixing relations with Pakistan," Mulford said.
AFP adds
The Wikileaks website published its full archive of 250, 000 cables in a searchable format on August 30 after its website came under cyber attacks after what it alleged the Guardian newspaper had violated terms of agreement over their archives.
The Wikileaks had been working with many news organisations around the world, providing exclusive access to them. However, it fell out with Britain’s The Guardian newspaper, after it accused the paper of leaking its encrypted password to government agencies.
Among the newly released documents were tens of thousands from countries with which the United States has difficult relationships, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Venezuela.
Terming the ceasefire between India and Pakistan in Held Jammu & Kashmir as an important achievement, classified United States documents released by Wikileaks revealed that Washington was keen on 'preserving' the truce, The Economic Times reported on Friday.
A 2005 US diplomatic cable to under the heading 'preserving the LoC ceasefire', the then Ambassador to India, David C Mulford urged the Bush Administration to issue a statement to support the truce announced by New Delhi & Islamabad on November 24, 2003.
"We urge the Department to issue a firm statement supporting the ceasefire; reiterating our unequivocal opposition to cross-border terrorist infiltration; condemning the recent shelling and reaffirming our support for the Composite Dialogue process," Mulford urged the US government in the cable sent in January 2005. The cable is one of 138,887 released by Wikileaks on August 30.
"The LoC ceasefire is one of the most important achievements in the slow but steady Indo-Pak rapprochement process that began in mid-2003 with former PM Vajpayee's 'Hand of Friendship' speech, but without US engagement that accomplishment could soon flounder," Mulford reported.
He appreciated response of New Delhi & Islamabad in the aftermath of two ceasefire violations in three days in January 2005 terming it as "measured" and "serious". "Despite shelling of Indian side of LoC twice in three days (January 18 & 20), both governments have responded in a measured and serious manner, conscious that 14 months of silence along the LOC has comes to symbolize de-escalation of Indo-Pak conflict, while providing tens of thousands of Kashmiris the longest respite from daily shelling since the 1999 Kargil War," he added.
"The ceasefire... has fuelled hopes for broader progress in military CBMs. These instances of shelling, if they do not stop, could spill over into Composite Dialogue and negatively affect broad sense of goodwill that exists in India for fixing relations with Pakistan," Mulford said.
AFP adds
The Wikileaks website published its full archive of 250, 000 cables in a searchable format on August 30 after its website came under cyber attacks after what it alleged the Guardian newspaper had violated terms of agreement over their archives.
The Wikileaks had been working with many news organisations around the world, providing exclusive access to them. However, it fell out with Britain’s The Guardian newspaper, after it accused the paper of leaking its encrypted password to government agencies.
Among the newly released documents were tens of thousands from countries with which the United States has difficult relationships, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Venezuela.