Ceasefire agreements can help save Indo-Pak relations

In the year 2003, Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan and political leadership on both sides agreed to a ceasefire along the boundary. When the then Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali announced a ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC), India proposed to extend it till Siachen along Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) and it finally resulted in a mutually agreed ceasefire agreement (CFA) not only along LoC and AGPL, but also along the International Border (IB). Being an unwritten document, this agreement was one of its kind and became operational on the basis of mutual faith and worked well on the ground. The earlier ceasefire agreement between the two countries (with the mediation and assistance of the United Kingdom) had taken place in written form on June 30, 1965 for a ceasefire along Gujarat and the (West) Pakistan border.  

At the time the ceasefire along LoC, AGPL and IB was agreed upon, incidents of cross-border firings were much higher (8,376 incidents in 2002, 2,045 in 2003) and immediately after CFA, the number of incidents came down within a limit of less than hundred ceasefire violations (CFVs). The CFA not only helped in reducing the number of these incidents drastically, but also helped in building a suitable atmosphere that helped start cross-border bus services and trade in later years.

Now, after 14 years have passed, incidents of violations seem to be rising once again. Though it is not as much as it was prior to 2003, it is rising with respect to recent years. On the Indian side, the Minister of State for Home Affairs (MoS MHA) stated in March 2017 that 405 violations were reported in the year 2015 (152 along LoC and 253 along IB) and 449 in 2016 (228 along LoC and 221 along IB).

In 2013, 347 such incidents took place, a large jump from 62 in 2011 and merely 44 in 2010 and 28 in 2009.

Recently, disturbing reports have surfaced indicating that soldiers and civilians, including children, lost their lives on both sides. These frequent ceasefire violations also damaged a trade facilitation centre at Chakan Da Bagh and trade, perforce, was halted for days. On the Poonch-Rawalkote route, cross LoC bus service and trade remained in abeyance for the last three months due to cross-border firing. Border population on both sides of LoC is vulnerable to these violations and live in everyday fear. Instead of decorative articles and shining paint on the exterior walls of their houses, they have holes from mortar attacks and cracks due to the firing. Thousands who live in these areas have had to migrate to save their lives.

While speaking in the Lok Sabha in December 2015, MoS of Ministry of Defence said 590 villages with an approximate population of 5.5 lakh are located in a 0-5 km range of LoC/IB in the five districts of Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Poonch, Rajouri, and out of these, 448 villages are vulnerable to ceasefire violations. It is also said that during 2012 to 2014, about 2.15 lakh families were temporarily affected and 193 houses have been partially/fully damaged due to shelling along IB/LoC. Importantly, he also stated that the Indian government will continue to work towards establishing peaceful, friendly relations and cooperation with Pakistan and are committed to resolving all outstanding issues with our neighbour, including the vexing issue of J&K, through peaceful bilateral dialogue in an environment free from terror and violence.

On the other hand, it is curious that both sides blame each other with the fixed narrative of unprovoked firing from the other side. This ‘unprovoked firing’ is now an everyday story along the line.  DGMOs on both sides have an effective hotline in place, and they meet to discuss these things. But it seems that in absence of any political and diplomatic engagement from both sides, there remains a void, which, unfortunately, is filled in by ceasefire violations.

In India and Pakistan, where cultural, linguistic, historical and geographical links are already present, the future of both countries is inextricably linked. People on both sides have family and faith-based relations on both sides. Children on both sides need a dignified life and education in these areas while frequent shelling and firing seem to be their only fate at present.  

Currently, while India and Pakistan face off against each other on various fronts, there is a need to review, revive and reframe the CFA. Governments on both sides took an important step towards peace in the year 2003, and now it is the responsibility of present governments to take a leap ahead by making it a bilateral written agreement. Doing so will mandate greater adherence to commitment towards the agreed terms and conditions, and will help in ameliorating the worsening situation. A reframed CFA in written form may include provisions such as monthly reviews on CFVs, joint committees, and compensation to victims.

If it happens, it will help in contributing towards the larger interest of the subcontinent and to world peace, by effectively preventing and reducing further loss of lives and livelihood on both sides of the border.

The author is the founder of Aaghaz-e-Dosti, a cross-border Indo-Pak Friendship Initiative