ISLAMABAD: 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 said yesterday.
“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 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 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 which 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. Internews
