Nawaz Sharif & Manmohan Singh Meeting: LOC Ceasefire Necessary

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At the much anticipated meeting betwee Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the United Nations, Sharif promised Manmohan Singh that he would look into the events of 26/11. Indian National Security Advisor (NSA) Shivshankar Menon also said after the meeting that restoring the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) was a precondition to further peace talks. The two reportedly discussed, in a time period of a little over an hour, terrorism issues, Kashmir, as well as trade and commerce. “Manmohan Singh said during the meeting that one can choose their friends, but not their neighbours,” said Menon. “So Pakistan is our neighbour, and we will continue working towards a solution of our issues.”

Manmohan Singh told Sharif to improve the situation along the Line of Control (LoC). Sharif also invited Manmohan Singh to visit Pakistan, an invitation which was accepted, though the dates are yet to be determined. The meeting comes with the backdrop of India’s growing concern of increasing terror attacks in India. During the meeting, Manmohan Singh raised the issue of ceasefire violations and the terror issue with Sharif during the meeting. They also discussed trade and commerce, according to reports on NDTV. Sharif brought up the terrorism that Pakistan is bearing the brunt of, and promised action on 26/11, according to Shivshankar Menon, the Indian national security advisor (NSA), who held a press conference after the meeting. There was no discussion on a next meeting, said Menon, and he said that “how useful the talks were remains to be seen.” “We have two sovereign states dealing with each other,” said Menon. “We are neighbours, and as the prime minister said, you can choose your friends, not your neighbours, so we will deal with the situation…there is no question of India interfering in Pakistan’s internal affairs,” said Menon regarding the Balochistan issue. Sharif’s invitation was reported by NDTV. The news channel has also reported that they “discussed ways to normalise bilateral ties.” Manmohan Singh also reportedly raised the issue of terrorism on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, and asked Islamabad to make more moves to curb cross-border terrorism. “There is actually no proof of export of terrorism from Indian soil, wish could say the same for the other way round,” said Menon during the press conference. Even before the talk between Sharif and Manmohan began, both sides had clearly laid out their positions. Sharif stuck to his previous stand, and did not come up with anything outside the box, harking back to self-determination in Kashmir with the aid of the United Nations. On Saturday, Manmohan had departed from his practice – and that of multiple predecessors of his – in the UN General Assembly, by making a reference to using an agreement similar to the Simla Agreement to resolve the Kashmir problem. “India is committed seriously to resolving all issues with Pakistan,” Manmohan told the UN General Assembly yesterday. “Including the Jammu and Kashmir issue through bilateral dialogue on the basis of the Simla Agreement.” The Simla Agreement, which was a verbal assurance given by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to Indira Gandhi in July 1972, implies conversion of the Line of Control (LoC) into a permanent border. The meeting also comes soon after reports that Sharif had made deregatory remarks comparing Manmohan to a ‘dehati aurat’ caused a political furor. The remarks, though they have now been withdrawn by the Pakistani journalist who first made them, have ignited a war of words between Modi and the Congress, with Modi attacking the prime minister for “marketing poverty” in the US. The Congress called out Modi’s attacks on Manmohan as “anti-national.”