The meeting between the National Security Advisors (NSAs) of India Ajit Doval and National Security Advisor of Pakistan Lt General Nasir Khan Janjua in Thailand’s capital city Bangkok could be the beginning of the end of two and a half year long unending hostility in India-Pakistan relations. The meeting between the NSAs of India and Pakistan could also restore calm both on the borders and plains in Jammu & Kashmir state. The timing of the meeting was both encouraging and as well as surprising keeping in view the continuing deadlock in the resumption of bilateral dialogue between the two countries. The meeting in absence of media hype would also give an opportunity to peace makers of both the countries to work out some measures for reconciliation between the two countries. Since the meeting between Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Lt General Nasir Khan Janjua (retd) took place at a neutral venue in the Thai capital, the possibilities of a breakthrough on resumption of bilateral dialogue with focus on Kashmir in the backdrop of the discussion on the issues between the two NSAs can’t be ruled out. The refusal of the Governments in Delhi and Islamabad to comment on the Bangkok meet between two NSAs is hinting at possibilities of increasing re-approachment between the two sides. Interestingly similar meetings between the NSAs and the foreign secretaries of the two countries was held in a third country in December 2015 and an atmosphere of good will between New Delhi and Islamabad generated by the surprise visit of Prime Prime Modi to Lahor for meeting with the then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff had raised the expectation of a breakthrough on the resumption of bilateral dialogue.
The meeting between the two NSAs is an opportunity for New Delhi and Islamabad to at least ease the situation on borders in Jammu & Kashmir to give respite to both the army and as well as the border populations on both sides of the divide.
Keeping in view the fact that the public protests, killings of militants and civilians and cross border firing incidents on the line of control in Jammu & Kashmir are not dying down yet and as such even naives can understand that meeting between the NSAs of the two countries could calm down the rising tempers in Kashmir valley. While New Delhi has offered a humanitarian pact to Pakistan, which allows the elderly and minor children who inadvertently cross the border to be quickly returned to their home country, Islamabad has offered consular access to Kulbushan Jadhav the alleged Indian spy in Pakistan custody. Since the unending spree in the killings on borders is an issue which has far reaching consequences on the strategic interests of both India and Pakistan, So the two countries can’t live long with the kind of hostility the borders dividing two parts of Jammu & Kashmir has witnessed in last six months. The meeting between the two NSAs is an opportunity for New Delhi and Islamabad to at least ease the situation on borders in Jammu & Kashmir to give respite to both the army and as well as the border populations on both sides of the divide.
