New Delhi: Hours after a joint statement was issued by India and Pakistan on the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC), ABP News learnt that it was National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval who spearheaded the talks with higher military officials of the neighbouring country to conclude the pact.
Earlier in the day, a joint statement was issued in New Delhi by the Defence Ministry stated that Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMO) of both the nations had agreed to strictly observe all agreements on a ceasefire along the LoC and address each other’s core issues and concerns which have the propensity to disturb the peace.
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The announcement was made in Islamabad and New Delhi after the talks said the two sides reviewed the situation along the LoC and all other sectors in a “free, frank and cordial atmosphere.”
Sources in government close to the development informed ABP News that NSA Doval was in constant touch with Moeed W Yusuf, Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s special assistant on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning directly and was also patched with him through the intelligence community. The source informed, both the nations have been making efforts behind the scenes to ease the tensions along the LoC.
How did India and Pakistan reach to this ‘big’ agreement? Let’s understand:
Indian and Pakistan Army has signed a mega agreement to establish a 2003 ceasefire completely which is indeed a result of willingness among political authorities. During the recent back-channel talks, officials of both nations realised that ‘continued hostility’ has not resulted in any gain for either of them and have lost the lives of several soldiers from both sides in cross-firings.
Sources also told ABP News that even India realised the fact that killing of soldiers across the LoC might result in severe criticism of the government and keeping it in mind, governments of both nations decided to bring ease at border areas.
It is also being said that more such peaceful pacts between Indian and Pakistan can be signed in future. However, the onus for the same will be on Pakistan as it always violates such agreements. Sources also revealed that Pakistan was concerned about its economic crisis and thus improving relations with India was its only option.
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Another main reason behind the ceasefire agreement was the fact that Pakistan failed to get the support of the international community after India’s abrogated Article 370 in Kashmir, citing to be its internal matter.
Sources also informed that India agreed to initiate back-channel talks with Pakistan owing to the fact that Islamabad took corrosive action against designated terrorists including Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, even though proceedings were not done for the Mumbai terror blast but for terror financing.
The agreement between the two nations comes weeks after Pakistan’ Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said that Islamabad and New Delhi must also resolve the longstanding issue of Jammu and Kashmir in a dignified and peaceful manner. The statement was a sharp contrast to Bajwa’s strident pitch against India.
India-Pakistan Ties
Bilateral ties between India and Pakistan nosedived manifold after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by terror groups-based in the neighbouring country which killed around 40 CRPF jawans. Subsequent attacks, including one on the Indian Army camp in Uri, further deteriorated the relationship.
The relationship dipped further after India’s warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan on February 26, 2019, in response to the Pulwama terror attack. The latest ceasefire agreement is expected to be a thaw after years of tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations.
(With inputs from Ashish Kumar Singh)
