Violating the 2003 cease-fire agreement yet again, Indian Border Security Force opened fire across the Working Boundary in Sialkot on Sunday night. This was at least the 55th violation in less than two months' time. Fortunately, this time no loss of life or property was reported. Earlier incidents this year have claimed lives of several soldiers as well as civilians. The Foreign Office summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner on August 11 and handed him a demarche over 'unprovoked firing' across the Working Boundary, which left two civilian dead and four others injured. Firing across the Line of Control and the Working Boundary has been going on intermittently for nearly two years now, ratcheting up tensions and belligerent rhetoric between the two countries.
The situation first flared up in January last year when India accused Pakistani troops of intrusion and killing two of its soldiers, beheading one of them. An investigative report published by an Indian newspaper later revealed that the truth was different from the official version, and that the trouble was actually started by a brash Indian border post commander. Since then both sides have been resorting to periodic shelling and trading accusations. Pakistan at one point made a good offer to restore calm calling for a joint investigation or inquiry by the UN Observer Mission. For obvious reasons, India did not want any UN role in issues related to LoC. Unless it had something to hide, New Delhi should have had no hesitation to hold a joint investigation. Better senses prevailed when prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Dr Manmohan Singh met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and agreed to reactivate the existing mechanism of contact between the two countries through the Directors-General of Military Operations (DGMOs). After two months of procrastination the DGMOs met near Lahore - first such contact in 14 years - and decided to establish a hotline and hold flag meetings between their respective brigade commanders at the LoC. Yet it did not take long for skirmishes to break out again. The excuse has always been alleged cross-border infiltration of militants. According to the country's own media reports, the activity is insignificant, ie, if at all there is any. A plausible explanation for relentless violations seems to be the growing clout Indian army is believed to have started exerting on matters pertaining to conflict with Pakistan.
It is unfortunate indeed that incidents of shelling across the Working Boundary as well as LoC should escalate at a time when the new governments in both countries have been making goodwill overtures to one another, showing a keenness to improve bilateral relations. After a long pause the two countries are to resume the peace process starting with foreign secretaries talks on August 25. The peace process cannot make meaningful headway while exchange of fire and accusations go on involving an area that happens to be the mother of all outstanding issues of conflict between the two countries. Hopefully, the upcoming secretaries' meeting will help cool down temperatures on both sides.