A military official confirmed there was no precedent of face-to-face talks between DGMOs, although senior military officials met in the past as part of talks on defence and security related issues. PHOTO: FILE
Top military commanders from Pakistan and India were likely to meet this month to de-escalate tensions sparked by weeks of border skirmishes. However, the meeting between directors general military operations (DGMOs) has been put on hold, for now, due to India’s intransigence.
“The meeting is unlikely to be held in the near future due to a disagreement over a framework under which the DGMOs could meet,” a senior foreign ministry official told The Express Tribune on Tuesday.
“Pakistan wants foreign ministry officials to attend the DGMOs meeting – which is apparently not acceptable to the Indian side,” added the official who requested not to be named in the report.
A military official confirmed there was no precedent of face-to-face talks between DGMOs, although senior military officials met in the past as part of talks on defence and security related issues.
The two countries agreed on a meeting between the DGMOs to lower tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border during talks between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month.
The Indian side had proposed a face-to-face meeting between the DGMOs. The rare meeting was expected to take place by the end of this month or early next month. The DGMOs were mandated by the two prime ministers to work out a plan to restore the 2003 ceasefire agreement along the LoC in the disputed Himalayan state of Kashmir.
Tensions between the two nuclear armed neighbours have escalated since the Sharif-Manmohan talks, with firing incidents also taking place along the working boundary in recent days.
Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Monday voiced his disappointment over the delay in the DGMOs meeting and Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry reiterated that Pakistan wants the New York decision to be implemented on a priority basis. However, sources said chances of the DGMOs meeting were slim as India was not ready to resume the process of dialogue at this stage.
On Tuesday, Press Trust of India quoted unnamed Indian officials suggesting New Delhi put on hold the DGMOs meeting. The decision was taken by the Indian government in view of the advice from its armed forces that Pakistan was not showing interest in such a meeting.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 30th, 2013.
COMMENTS (7)
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Meeting will take place after the trouble maker retires at the end of the month.
Did the DGMOs meet during Kargil/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Just asking:)!
Both sides have already agreed for a ceasefire which is holding on so far, but Pakistan putting a rider to include foreign ministry officials in DGMO talks is making it a non-starter and which does not auger well for both countries.
India and Aman Ki Tamasha
Unless there is something to hide, why does it matter to the Indian side if FO officials or anyone else is present in the meeting?
With the Indian elections approaching,and not much of a performance to show,the Indian government will do everything to ratchet up the hostilities with 'evil Pakistan'...we need to to just reply fire with fire.