After the high-level meeting between the two countries, India and Pakistan on Saturday agreed to jointly resolve sensitive issues like ceasefire violations and cross-border infiltration through exchange of information, including via e-mail and over the telephone. According to the proposals, both countries will be needed to share the required information to other one.
At the conclusion of bilateral DG-level border talks, the two sides also inked some new confidence building measures (CBMs) and signed a joint record of discussions which emphasised the need to ensure security and well-being of their border populations.
Giving more importance to inclusion of faster communication between the countries, India and Pakistan, sources said, also agreed to stop ceasefire violations along the International Border (IB) “through enhanced communication via multiple modes at all possible levels.”
Rather than accusing each other in the meeting, both countries have talked beyond the agenda, The chiefs of the Border Security Force and Pakistan Rangers had led the dialogue and both sides maintained that it was held in a very cordial and smooth manner and all the issues concerning the two countries along the Indo-Pak border were taken up and addressed.
Whole new concept of patrolling the border together may be intervened after this meeting if believed some sources. The two border guarding forces decided to initiate new CBMs through initiation of coordinated patrolling in specific border areas.
“The Joint Record of Discussion charting a future route map for cooperation between the two border guarding forces was signed in the day. It was mutually agreed to hold the next talks in the first half of 2016 in Pakistan,” a BSF statement said after its DG D.K. Pathak and Rangers chief Maj. Gen. Umar Farooq Burki signed the documents.
“The talks ended on a optimistic note with both sides agreeing on constant endeavour to maintain peaceful and tranquil borders,” it added.
Sources said that both the forces, up to the level of Directors General, will exchange mobile numbers, e-mail IDs and fax numbers for quick and swift communication to resolve situations on a case-to-case basis.