BackNarendra Modi writes to Nawaz Sharif; ceasefire jolt on border
Modi says he is looking forward to working with Sharif in a violence-free atmosphere, according to TV reports
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New Delhi: In his latest overture to Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condemned the terror attack on Karachi airport and hoped for a further improvement in bilateral relations in a message that coincided with reports of heavy shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir.
In his reply to a letter sent to him by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over the weekend, Modi said he was looking forward to working with him in a violence-free atmosphere, according to NDTV news channel. Modi said he condemned in strongest terms the terrorist attack in Karachi, the news channel said in a post on its Twitter account.
Taliban militants disguised as security forces attacked Pakistan’s busiest airport in Karachi on Sunday. At least 34 people were reported killed in a night-long battle at the airport, one of the country’s most high-profile targets. A second attack on Karachi airport on Tuesday was repulsed by Pakistani security personnel.
In New Delhi, foreign secretary Sujatha Singh confirmed such a letter was sent. Another person familiar with the development said the missive had been despatched on Thursday. But neither the Prime Minister’s Office nor the ministry of external affairs made the contents of the letter public.
Pakistan’s Geo TV reported that Modi, in his letter to Sharif, said he was hopeful that bilateral relations between Pakistan and India would improve. Modi wrote that it was an honour for him to have Sharif attend his oath-taking ceremony, Geo TV said in a report on its website. The Indian prime minister also condemned the Karachi airport attack and expressed his sorrow over the loss of life, it said.
Sharif had written to Modi expressing satisfaction over his meeting with the Indian prime minister in New Delhi. Sharif and other leaders from South Asian countries were in attendance at Modi’s swearing-in ceremony on 26 May. Sharif’s letter was described as significant by people familiar with the development who also added that the letter was being carefully studied.
When asked about the shelling along the LoC, the de facto border in Kashmir, foreign secretary Singh said: “I think we are all aware that the maintenance of peace and tranquility on the LoC is one of the most important confidence-building measures between India and Pakistan. That remains the case and that will always remain the case."
Both countries had agreed to a ceasefire along their border in November 2003—a truce that has largely held. But violations of the ceasefire last year as well as two instances of beheading of Indian soldiers along the LoC resulted in New Delhi putting on hold official-level peace talks with Pakistan that had previously yielded results, especially on the economic front.
During talks between then prime minister Manmohan Singh and Sharif in New York in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, it was agreed that a “pre-condition" for the peace talks to move forward was “an improvement of the situation on the LoC", according to then national security advisor Shivshankar Menon.
On Friday, the foreign secretary once again described peace along the LoC as a pre-condition for establishing “peaceful and normal relations". When asked about the resumption of official contact, as had been expected after the talks between Modi and Sharif in New Delhi, she said: “We will, by and by"—indicating that a restart of official talks could take a while.
In response to a question on where India-Pakistan ties were headed given the exchange of letters between Modi and Sharif on the one hand and the ceasefire violation on the other, Singh said India’s policy towards all its neighbours was always “to work towards peaceful and cordial relations so that is our overall objective and that is where the letter diplomacy fits in.
“On the firing, I would just like to reiterate that peace and tranquility on the border is of the highest importance in establishing the pre-conditions for establishing such peaceful and normal relations," she added.
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