NEW DELHI Pakistanis and Indians, and probably the rest of the world, were in for a surprise when news broke of a secretly planned meeting between national security advisers of the two neighbouring South Asian countries in Bangkok.
Nasir Janjua and Ajit Doval along with respective foreign affairs secretaries talked for about four hours in the Thailand capital, including on the heated issue of Jammu Kashmir.
In August, the adviser-level talks scheduled to be held in New Delhi had been called off at the last minute, after a political tussle between Indias External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz over the latter’s insistence on meeting Hurriyat leaders.
The involvement of Kashmiri leaders in the bilateral dialogue was unacceptable to India, with Sushma citing the Shimla Agreement that according to Indians does not allow for a third party. This may have precisely been the reason behind the hushed-up meeting on Sunday taking place hundreds of kilometres away from Islamabad and New Delhi, and Kashmir.
The meeting in Bangkok eliminated the issue of officials from Pakistan meeting with Hurriyat leaders, The Hindu newspaper reported. Earlier, the meeting was planned in Singapore between Janjua and Doval. Another hurdle for the August talks was the involvement of Jammu Kashmir in the discussion, which India had rejected.
The Indian Express newspaper reported that the Hurriyat factor had been the main reason for choosing a third country to host the first-adviser level meeting. However, India has apparently changed its stance, putting Kashmir back on the table and even discussing tranquility on the Line of Control in the disputed state.
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