Pakistan Army helped revive talks with India

[Pindi Boy]

PM Nawaz Sharif shakes hands with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi upon latter's arrival at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore on December 25, 2015. PHOTO: PID

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army paved the way for reviving a stalled dialogue with India this year, officials said, a thaw leading to the first visit to Pakistan by an Indian premier in almost 12 years.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise trip to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday raised hopes that stop-and-start negotiations between the nuclear-armed neighbors might finally mean progress after more than 65 years of hostility.

Aides say the meeting was arranged directly between the two prime ministers on just a few hours’ notice when Modi called to wish 66-year-old Sharif a happy birthday.

But even before Modi arrived in the eastern city of Lahore, relations between the nuclear-armed rivals had begun to thaw, with a resumption of dialogue already in the offing.

On Friday, Modi and Nawaz agreed that their foreign secretaries would meet in mid-January to restart talks.

Modi departs from Pakistan after brief surprise visit

Officials say “ownership” of peace talks by the military and the appointment of a recently retired general as the national security adviser have given Pakistan renewed confidence to restart dialogue with India, including speaking about the thorny issue of terrorism.

“This round is different because there is backing from the top where it matters … the army chief is himself on board,” a top diplomat said before the visit.

Army Chief General Raheel Sharif is said to be close to the new national security adviser, recently retired general Naseer Khan Janjua, who in October replaced civilian Sartaj Aziz, an ally of the prime minister.

Many saw the move as strengthening the army’s hand in talks with India, with the military remaining wary of a civilian government giving too much away.

“General Janjua has immense experience in these matters. He’s the best man for the job and he has already proven to be an asset to this (peace) process,” one member of Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet said earlier in December.

Nawaz, Modi meeting has ‘underlying conflict of interest’: Imran

“It’s only an added benefit that he has a direct line to the (army) chief,” he added.

A senior Indian official in New Delhi also said military backing for peace talks marked a major change, with Janjua’s involvement as national security advisor a key sign that General Raheel supports resuming the dialogue.

Direct contact between the two prime ministers is a major factor in thawing relations – they met on the sidelines of the Paris climate change summit last month. However officials said that true change only became possible after Janjua’s appointment.

Earlier this month, the national security advisers of both countries met in Bangkok, paving the way for Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Pakistan for the Heart of Asia summit where she agreed to reopen dialogue with Pakistan, thereby resuming a process broken off since 2012.

By contrast, Pakistan says the disputed territory of Kashmir is the paramount topic.

With a military man having a greater say in the process, there is more confidence about discussing such sensitive topics, several officials said.

“I think in the past there was a hesitation from Pakistan, understandably, to talk about terrorism [with India] but that may have changed,” the diplomat told Reuters.

“There is better division of labor. The real decision-making is happening behind the scenes. The rest is just optics.”

American pressure

A close aide to Modi in India said US officials always push for reviving India-Pakistan talks and external pressure was not a factor.

“Modi-ji’s visit to Pakistan was not dictated by America but it was planned to keep the national and regional interest in mind,” the aide said, using a Hindi term of respect for the premier.

A senior security official close to the talks process was wary when responding to the Modi visit.

“It is a positive step that he came … definitely … but we still have to move with caution,” he said. “It’s a new Modi in an old bottle; Nawaz Sharif should take it one sip at a time.”


Read more: Modi , Pak-India relations

 

[tarrar]

I strongly disagree. India has not left any opportunity in harming Pakistan & are their lobbies are continuing to harm Pakistan, not only that they are becoming obstacles in the way of Pakistan.

 

[wiseone2]

I strongly disagree. India has not left any opportunity in harming Pakistan & are their lobbies are continuing to harm Pakistan, not only that they are becoming obstacles in the way of Pakistan.

pakistani biggest issues are internal

 

[Viper0011.]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army paved the way for reviving a stalled dialogue with India this year, officials said, a thaw leading to the first visit to Pakistan by an Indian premier in almost 12 years.

Officials say “ownership” of peace talks by the military and the appointment of a recently retired general as the national security adviser have given Pakistan renewed confidence to restart dialogue with India, including speaking about the thorny issue of terrorism

Here we go, none-sense, over glorification of the military!! What's next? The CPEC was started because the Pak Military gave some assurance to the Chinese? What's after that? The Pak military told an Earth Quake and a Hurricane to not hit Pakistan and avert a disaster???? Are we dealing with the God or the Pak Military?

So the image is being given to the pubic of Pakistan (as always) that behind ALL good, its the Pakistan military. Behind all bad, its the civilians!! How convenient? And the reality is, in the 60+ years of the military rule, not one jack shiit program was implemented to grow the economy. This is THE first time that everything that needed to happen starting the 1960's, is happening today.

NS has always been a pro-India person, I think a blind knows it too. The real push behind this trip was the US, the US pushed India to limits towards peace. Then, the Russians also asked the Indians to make peace so that they can join the CPEC. Between the US (60%) and Russia (20%) and the Chinese (and the Indian interests in Afghanistan) was the remainder of the % that did this.

Otherwise, it was the SAME Modi, who was talking about teaching Pakistan a lesson!!

 

[livingdead]

I strongly disagree. India has not left any opportunity in harming Pakistan & are their lobbies are continuing to harm Pakistan, not only that they are becoming obstacles in the way of Pakistan.

same with pakistan.. enemies cant be friends overnight.. nobody expects too much from pakistan too, at this stage.. the de-escalation has to be done slowly...

Here we go, none-sense, over glorification of the military!! What's next? The CPEC was started because the Pak Military gave some assurance to the Chinese? What's after that? The Pak military told an Earth Quake and a Hurricane to not hit Pakistan and avert a disaster???? Are we dealing with the God or the Pak Military?

So the image is being given to the pubic of Pakistan (as always) that behind ALL good, its the Pakistan military. Behind all bad, its the civilians!! How convenient? And the reality is, in the 60+ years of the military rule, not one jack shiit program was implemented to grow the economy. This is THE first time that everything that needed to happen starting the 1960's, is happening today.

NS has always been a pro-India person, I think a blind knows it too. The real push behind this trip was the US, the US pushed India to limits towards peace. Then, the Russians also asked the Indians to make peace so that they can join the CPEC. Between the US (60%) and Russia (20%) and the Chinese (and the Indian interests in Afghanistan) was the remainder of the % that did this.

Otherwise, it was the SAME Modi, who was talking about teaching Pakistan a lesson!!

US pressure is constant since last 5 years, there is nothing new. There is no new administration that has new south asia focus there, Obama is on way out. Russia is too busy elsewhere. Not saying russians do not put pressure, these have been there since last Indian govt.
This change did not happen overnight, Indian and pakistani side are in secret talks for more than a year. The article does not suggest PA facilitated the whole indo-pak dialogue, rather they are on board. Elevating a former general to NSA is a good move, it takes care of PA's worries while not putting India in awkward position

 

[Viper0011.]

US pressure is constant since last 5 years, there is nothing new. There is no new administration that has new south asia focus there, Obama is on way out. Russia is too busy elsewhere. Not saying russians do not put pressure, these have been there since last Indian govt.

This change did not happen overnight, Indian and pakistani side are in secret talks for more than a year. The article does not suggest PA facilitated the whole indo-pak dialogue, rather they are on board. Elevating a former general to NSA is a good move, it takes care of PA's worries while not putting India in awkward position

The US pressure hasn't been constant. Its a VERY naive statement to make. You can make this statement on Indian media to show macho-ness but its false like the Sun dawning from the West.

The trip NS took to the US, and followed by RS, made a huge change. The proof provided by Pakistan on RAW's involvement inside Pakistan, in Baluchistan, Sindh and other places have put both Indians and Pakistanis on the same row. Its no longer the case that Pakistan is ALONE considered supporting militancy in India, we know its BOTH of you guys. And Modi's "we'll teach Pakistan a lesson" has scared off half the globe due to the potential fallout of this risky adventure So the pressure being put onto Modi in the past 3 months is ten folds than before.

Additionally, Modi asked the Russians to use Chahbar port through Iran. The Russians declined and said they might use it to please India, but the economic strategy was to use the CPEC as China has become Central to Moscow's national security related interests. And the Russians suggested that India should join in too and enjoy the benefits of One road linking 40% of the global population, all within a couple of days worth of drive from each other.

The Russians also told India that they will help the case too and will support a peace deal with India and Pakistan. Modi is a smart guy, the businessmen inside India know once the Chinese CPEC kicks in, the Chinese will become dominant trading party in this region. So to get a big slice and compete against the Chinese, the Indians have to let go of their issues with Pakistan. That is the reality. Business and profits and $$$$ overcome all animosity and create tolerance of its own. Money is the strongest drug on this planet (Donald Trump).

 

[tarrar]

same with pakistan.. enemies cant be friends overnight.. nobody expects too much from pakistan too, at this stage.. the de-escalation has to be done slowly...

The only country between the two which cannot be & never be trusted is India. Indian lobbies are very active against Pakistan, they are always crying & trying to always become obstacle in the way of Pakistan.

 

[HariPrasad]

I strongly disagree. India has not left any opportunity in harming Pakistan & are their lobbies are continuing to harm Pakistan, not only that they are becoming obstacles in the way of Pakistan.

terror export ke samne kuchha counter measure to lena padega na.

 

[wiseone2]

Here we go, none-sense, over glorification of the military!! What's next? The CPEC was started because the Pak Military gave some assurance to the Chinese? What's after that? The Pak military told an Earth Quake and a Hurricane to not hit Pakistan and avert a disaster???? Are we dealing with the God or the Pak Military?

So the image is being given to the pubic of Pakistan (as always) that behind ALL good, its the Pakistan military. Behind all bad, its the civilians!! How convenient? And the reality is, in the 60+ years of the military rule, not one jack shiit program was implemented to grow the economy. This is THE first time that everything that needed to happen starting the 1960's, is happening today.

NS has always been a pro-India person, I think a blind knows it too. The real push behind this trip was the US, the US pushed India to limits towards peace. Then, the Russians also asked the Indians to make peace so that they can join the CPEC. Between the US (60%) and Russia (20%) and the Chinese (and the Indian interests in Afghanistan) was the remainder of the % that did this.

Otherwise, it was the SAME Modi, who was talking about teaching Pakistan a lesson!!

I never thought of NS as a pro-India person. I was told Nawaz Sharif was propped by the ISI during the 1980s and early 1990s to counter Benazir Bhutto. His base is Pakistan Punjab. Pakistani Punjabi elite stand to benefit with trade with India. Hence there is a perception of a pro-Indian stance. .

 

[oFFbEAT]

Pakistan Army has no other choice, after Peshawar APS incident they understood that proxies bite back....and they bite back hard.....so they are less interested in proxies and more interested in talks now....

 

[Pakistanisage]

After Lt. Gen. Janjua took over the position of Defence Advisor, I expected a major shake up and movement forward. The man is a genius.

 

[livingdead]

The only country between the two which cannot be & never be trusted is India. Indian lobbies are very active against Pakistan, they are always crying & trying to always become obstacle in the way of Pakistan.

If you did not understand my post let me try again: For Indians, pakistan is exactly that, an obstacle to our prosperity, a nuisance, a neighbor that cannot be trusted.
That is not going to change overnight. We know that, and you better accept changes don't come overnight.

 

[Leviza]

Pakistan Army has no other choice, after Peshawar APS incident they understood that proxies bite back....and they bite back hard.....so they are less interested in proxies and more interested in talks now....

APS was planned in Afghanistan with RAW involvement, i know being indian you will deny that .. we dont care about you ..

it was clear that any discussions will involve Kashmir and its resolution as per UN ..

Pak army does not play from the week side, there must be something else which made indian MODI to come on dialog table .. that is why Pak army is behind that .. Pak Army keeping a eye on this dialog and we are defining where it goes ...

Involvement in Afghanistan is also a factor here.. that is why US putting pressure on india to come to dialog ..
World is changing fast , even US changing its behavior towards Pakistan as they do not want Pakistan to slip out of their hands at this crucial times ahead ..

 

[ThaniOruvan]

India must be wary of back-stabbing like in the past.