India - Pakistan Diplomatic Relations Continue To Deteriorate

Reuters: Diplomatic spat between India and Pakistan worsens amid border tensions

Pakistan may expel five Indian diplomats for espionage and has revealed their names, local media said on Wednesday, a move sure to exacerbate a rift between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors that has been widening for months.

Pakistan declined to comment on the matter ahead of a planned news conference on Thursday, while India said the identity of eight of its diplomats had been revealed by Pakistani media.

Vikas Swarup, spokesman of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, declined to comment when asked whether the eight diplomats stationed in Islamabad would be withdrawn.

Swarup also said six Pakistani diplomats had left the Indian capital on Wednesday but said they had not been expelled.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: No surprise on this diplomatic tic-for-tat expulsions. And with border clashes now becoming a regular occurrence .... 13 civilians killed by cross-border shelling in Kashmir, say India, Pakistan (CNN) .... I expect this political rhetoric (and actions) to escalate.

Are India And Pakistan Reconciling?

Christian Science Monitor: A bright hope for 2016: India and Pakistan reconcile

A bright hope for 2016: India and Pakistan reconcile

A surprise visit on Christmas Day between the leaders of India and Pakistan hint at a mutual desire to no longer let historic tensions hinder their drive against poverty.

One of the most hopeful events in 2015 was a surprise visit on Christmas Day between the prime ministers of India and Pakistan, Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif. Their power lunch showed a spirit of generosity for the leaders of two nuclear powers so long at odds that South Asia is viewed as the most dangerous place on earth.

While one summit does not make peace, the visit hints that the two countries may now be able to transcend difficult issues of territory, terrorism, religious divide, and national identity.

One possible motivation for the sudden warmth: Both leaders may empathize with the other about the urgent need to tackle poverty rather than allow tensions to hinder economic growth. As the rest of the world has moved toward interdependence, Pakistan and India have remained mired in post-colonial quarrels for 68 years, a result of an awkward and violent partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947.

WNU Editor: If both countries do reconcile .... it will shape this part of the world into the next century. But my prediction is that while the leaders may want to find common ground .... there are many who have different agendas, and it will not take much to reverse all of the goodwill that has come out of this visit.

Indian Prime Minister Makes Surprise Visit To Pakistan

CNN: Indian Prime Minister makes surprise visit to meet with Pakistani counterpart

(CNN)Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Pakistan for a surprise visit Friday -- a significant sign the icy relationship between the two neighbors is thawing.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif greeted him at an airport in Lahore during his short layover in the city while en route to New Delhi from Afghanistan. Sharif was accompanied by his brother Shahbaz, Punjab province's chief minister.

Modi visited the official residence of the Sharif family in the Punjab town of Raiwind for impromptu talks expected to last two hours.

It's the first time an Indian prime minister has visited Pakistan in almost 12 years.

WNU Editor: Something is brewing.

More News On The Indian Prime Minister's Surprise Visit To Pakistan

Indian PM Modi makes surprise visit to Pakistan -- Reuters
India's Modi Arrives in Pakistan on First Visit as Premier -- AP
India's Modi on surprise Pakistan visit to meet PM -- AFP
India PM Modi in surprise Pakistan visit -- BBC
India’s Narendra Modi to Make First Visit to Pakistan for Chat With Nawaz Sharif -- WSJ
Indian PM Announces Surprise Visit to Pakistan -- VOA
Indian PM Modi drops by Pakistan on the way home -- DW
Modi, Sharif discuss India-Pak ties, display camaraderie -- Hindustan Times

India And Pakistan Agree To De-Escalate Border Tensions

India, Pakistan To 'De-Escalate' Tensions -- The Australian

INDIA'S army has reached an "understanding" with Pakistan to "de-escalate" military tensions in Kashmir after a recent deadly flare-up in the disputed border region, a spokesman says.

"An understanding has been arrived at between the two director-generals of military operations to de-escalate the situation along the Line of Control (LoC)," army spokesman Jagdeep Dahiya said in reference to a de facto border in Kashmir.

Dahiya said that the two sides' senior military commanders had spoken for 10 minutes over the telephone where they reached their agreement.

Read more ....

More News On India And Pakistan Agreeing To 'De-Escalate' Tensions On Their Border

Kashmir crisis: India and Pakistan agree 'de-escalation' -- BBC
India, Pakistan to 'de-escalate' border tensions, Army says -- Times of India/AFP
India, Pakistan agree to ease tensions in Kashmir -- US News and World Report/AP
Top military commanders of India and Pakistan agree not to escalate tension along LoC -- India Today
India, Pakistan agree to reduce border tensions: army -- Livemint
Pakistan must take 'certain steps' for de-escalation of tension, India says -- Times of India
Pakistan orders its troops to maintain restraint, observe ceasefire at Line of Control -- NDTV
Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar offers talks with India to defuse tension -- NDTV/Press Trust of India

India Prime Minister Warns Pakistan On Kashmir

India PM Manmohan Singh Warns Pakistan On Kashmir -- BBC

Indian PM Manmohan Singh has said it "cannot be business as usual" with Pakistan after troops clashed along the disputed Kashmir border last week.

He said the deaths of two Indian soldiers - one of whom India says was beheaded - were "unacceptable".

Both countries claim Kashmir and have fought two wars over the territory.

The Indian army chief has ordered an aggressive response after fresh exchanges at the border. Two Pakistani soldiers were also killed last week.

Read more ....

More News On The Indian Prime Minister Warning Pakistan On Kashmir

India PM Warns Pakistan Over Kashmir Violence -- AP
Cannot be business as usual with Pakistan: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to NDTV -- NDTV
Indian PM: "no business as usual" with Pakistan after Kashmir clash -- Reuters
PM talks tough with Pakistan after soldiers' killings -- New York Daily News
No business as usual with Pakistan: Indian PM -- DAWN/AFP

Pakistan And Indian Leaders Meeting To Discuss Border Issues

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, left, shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as they met Sunday in New Delhi. (Press Information Bureau of India / April 8, 2012)

Pakistan's President Visits India, But Distrust Runs Deep -- Christian Science Monitor

Pakistani President Zardari and Indian Prime Minister Singh discuss Siachen Glacier and Sir Creek, two border disputes kept alive by lack of trust.

In a rare exchange, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met in New Delhi over the weekend. The discussion included the long-running border disputes of Siachen Glacier and Sir Creek, two of the smaller but more actionable items standing between the nuclear rivals.


Read more ....

More News On Both Pakistan And Indian Leaders Meeting To Discuss Border Issues

Pakistan leader's India visit hailed for its symbolism -- L.A. Times
Indian and Pakistani Leaders Encourage Ties in a Rare Visit -- New York Times
Nuclear-armed foes Pakistan, India talk peace over lunch -- Reuters
India, Pakistan Discuss Terrorism in Rare Top-Level Meeting -- Voice of America
India, Pakistan say they aim to normalize ties -- AP
Pakistani president visits Indian shrine after talks with PM -- The Guardian
Pakistan's president visits India amid warming ties -- CNN
Little expected, little gained from Zardari visit -- BBC
India-Pakistan Normalization of Relations -- Jahanzeb Aslam, Daily Beast
India, Pakistan Détente Still an Uphill Battle -- Wall Street Journal

A 'Cold Peace Reigns' On The India-Pakistan Border

On The India-Pakistan Border, A Cold Peace -- New York Times/Reuters

SURATGARH, India (Reuters) - It has been nearly eight years since India and Pakistan agreed a cease-fire over Kashmir - long enough for residents to start building brick houses and plant paddy fields up to the edge of one of the world's most heavily militarized borders.

But for soldiers guarding the disputed frontier, it is a fragile peace that can be broken at any time.

"I wouldn't call our relationship on the border cordial. We characterize it as professional," said an officer of India's Border Security Force (BSF), speaking on condition he not be identified because of the sensitivity of his assignment on the front-line.

Read more ....

My Comment: All of this talk about detente and peaceful coexistence can evaporate in an instant after just one major terrorist attack and/or diplomatic breakdown .... a situation that the militants and extremists know only too well.

Progress In Peace Talks Between India And Pakistan

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar (R) shakes hands with Indian counterpart Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna before their meeting in New Delhi July 27, 2011. Photo: Reuters

Pakistan, India Signal 'New Era' Of Cooperation -- Voice Of America

The foreign ministers of India and Pakistan have hailed a "new era of cooperation," after meeting for the first time since peace talks between the rival nations resumed earlier this year. The officials promised to initiate new trade and travel contacts across their disputed border.

Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna accentuated the positive Wednesday, following talks with newly appointed Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar in the Indian capital.

"We have some distance to travel, but with an open mind, and a constructive approach ... I am sure we can reach our desired destination," Krishna said.


Read more ....

More News On India - Pakistan Relations

Indian, Pakistani FMs Laud "New Era" in Bilateral Ties -- Global Security Newswire
India and Pakistan Agree to Concessions on Kashmir -- New York Times
India, Pakistan say relations are on right track -- AP
Pakistan's new foreign minister charms India -- The Telegraph
Low Bar for India-Pakistan Talks -- Wall Street Journal
Pakistan's foreign minister: The face of a new generation of peace with India? -- Christian Science Montior
Where is the India-Pakistan relationship now headed? -- NDTV

My Comment: Peace between India and Pakistan? Yeah sure.

India And Pakistan Agree To Establish A Counter-Terrorism Hotline

Smoke rises from Taj Mahal Hotel. The 2008 Mumbai attacks had destroyed trust between the two countries Photo: Reuters

India And Pakistan To Establish Counter-Terrorism Hotline -- The Telegraph

Pakistan has agreed to establish a counter-terrorism hotline and allow Indian detectives investigating the 2008 Mumbai terror plot to visit the country, in the most significant confidence-building measures since the massacre.

In a statement following two days of talks in New Delhi, India's home secretary and Pakistan's interior secretary said on Tuesday that the hotline would help "facilitate real-time information sharing with respect to terrorist threats."

Security analysts said the moves were a major concession by Pakistan, aimed at persuading India of its sincerity in tackling terrorism and preventing any further attacks being plotted from its territory.

Read more ....

My Comment: Considering their history, this is an incredible accomplishment. If they follow through with this investigation, then I would say that this is really forward progress.

India And Pakistan Agree To Restart The Peace Process

Pakistani Counterpart Salman Bashir shakes hand with Foreign Secretary, Nirupama Rao in Thimphu,Bhutan on Sunday. PTI

Pakistan, India Agree To Restart Peace Talks -- Voice of America

Pakistan and India have agreed to resume their wide-ranging peace dialogue that New Delhi suspended shortly after the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai.

A statement issued simultaneously in Islamabad and New Delhi says that the rival nuclear-armed countries "have agreed to resume dialogue on all issues."

Read more ....

More News On The Restart Of Peace Talks Between India And Pakistan

India, Pakistan to restart talks that ended after Mumbai terror attack -- L.A. Times
India and Pakistan to restart peace talks -- Financial Times
India and Pakistan Agree to Renew Peace Talks -- New York Times
India, Pakistan to Restart Peace Talks Halted by Mumbai Terrorist Assault -- Bloomberg
Pakistan and India agree to resume peace talks -- CNN
India, Pakistan agree to resume peace talks -- AP
India and Pakistan agree to resume peace talks -- BBC
India, Pakistan agree to resume talks on all issues -- Xinhuanet
India, Pakistan to Restart Peace Process -- Global Security Newswire
Factbox: What are the major issues between India and Pakistan? -- Reuters

My Comment: I do not expect both sides to make progress fast .... but this is a positive start.

One More Reason Why India - Pakistan Relations Are Tense

The Kishenganga dam project in Kashmir is a crucial part of India’s plans to feed its rapidly growing but power-starved economy. Kuni Takahashi for The New York Times

Water Dispute Increases India-Pakistan Tension -- New York Times

BANDIPORE, Kashmir — In this high Himalayan valley on the Indian-controlled side of Kashmir, the latest battle line between India and Pakistan has been drawn.

This time it is not the ground underfoot, which has been disputed since the bloody partition of British India in 1947, but the water hurtling from mountain glaciers to parched farmers’ fields in Pakistan’s agricultural heartland.

Read more ....

My Comment: In my travels throughout Asia, I have seen the growing impact that pollution and the shortage of fresh water has had on the region. When I first traveled through the region in the late 1980s, pollution was a problem .... but a minor one, and fresh water was in short supply .... but still available.

Today .... Asia's pollution is beyond horrendous, and fresh water .... the cost of obtaining it has become expensive and .... in some cases .... unobtainable. Therefore for Pakistan .... a society that is undergoing extreme turmoil on the political/economic/social level .... any hint of India tampering with the water supply will result in the reaction that we see today.

India - Pakistan Relations Just Got Worse

Pakistan And India Foreign Ministers In Diplomatic Spat -- BBC

Pakistan's foreign minister has criticised the behaviour of his Indian counterpart during Thursday's high-profile talks in Islamabad.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters on Friday SM Krishna and his delegation had not been ready for dialogue.

He also said Mr Krishna had repeatedly interrupted the talks for phone calls from Delhi.

Mr Krishna denied the "extraordinary" claims. It was the foreign ministers' first bilateral meeting since 2008.

It was also the third high-level contact between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours in six months.

Read more ....

More News On India - Pakistan Relations

India not prepared to talk, Pakistan says -- UPI
Pakistan Chastises India For Stalemate in Talks -- Global Security Newswire
Pakistan’s Qureshi to India’s Krishna: Stop Calling -- Wall Street Journal
"Stop terror first," says Krishna, ignores Pak jibes -- Indian Express
Pakistan and India promise co-operation over terrorism -- The Telegraph
India - Pakistan relations -- The Economist
Have the India-Pakistan peace talks collapsed? -- BBC
Fissures run deep but India, Pak agree to meet again -- Indian Express

My Comment: After the usual jibes, they agreed to disagree .... and to meet later again for further talks. Unfortunately .... this does not bring the peace process or cooperation on important issues like terrorism any bit closer.

But at least they are not shooting at each other and threatening war.

India And Pakistan Pledge To Improve Relations

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (L) shakes hands with his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani during their meeting in Thimphu, capital of Bhutan, on April 29, 2010. (Xinhua/Chen Zhanjie)

From L.A. Times:

Pakistani Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gilani and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meet in Bhutan and officials later say they will open discussions on ‘all issues of mutual concern.’ The U.S. would like to see Pakistan focus more troops on Afghanistan and fewer on India.

Senior Indian and Pakistani officials pledged Thursday to improve frosty relations between their nations following a meeting between their prime ministers at the periphery of a regional summit in Bhutan.

Lowering the temperature between the wary nuclear neighbors has been a key goal of the United States in its broader bid to root out terrorism in South Asia.

Read more ....

My Comment: Resuming the discussion to have peace talks is better than having no talks at all .... but both sides still have a very long way to go.

India - Pakistan Talks To Continue At A Later Date

India's Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao (L) shakes hands with her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir before their meeting in New Delhi February 25, 2010. The top diplomats of India and Pakistan began on Thursday their first official talks since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, but hopes of progress remain limited as the rival neighbours seek to end a diplomatic freeze. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

India, Pakistan Hold Formal Talks -- Washington Post

NEW DELHI -- Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan met Thursday for their first formal talks since the deadly siege on Mumbai in 2008. Officials described the session as a cautious step in restoring trust between the two nations, who promised only that they would keep in touch, while agreeing that there much mutual suspicion remains.

Neither side gave a date for a follow-up meeting after India's Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao met Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir for more than three hours in a former palace amid the heavily guarded seat of government.

Read more ....

More News On Today's India - Pakistan Talks

India, Pakistan hold first talks in 15 months -- Yahoo News/AP
Rivals India, Pakistan agree to "keep in touch" -- Yahoo News/Reuters
First India, Pakistan talks since Mumbai attacks -- Yahoo News/AFP
India, Pakistan agree to continue dialogue -- Xinhuanet
Pak wants composite dialogue, India seeks handing over of Hafiz -- The Hindu
Indo-Pak talks focused on Kashmir: Pak foreign secy -- Times Of India
India, Pakistan hold first talks since 2008 Mumbai attacks -- USA Today
India Calls Talks With Pakistan a Step Forward -- Voice of America
In ‘First Step,’ India and Pakistan Resume Talks -- New York Times
India and Pakistan resume peace talks after hiatus of 15 months -- Times Online
India-Pakistan talks are first since Mumbai attack -- L.A. Times

Talks Between India And Pakistan Still On For February 25

Old Ties Help Spur New India-Pakistan Talks -- Wall Street Journal

When the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan sit for historic talks Thursday, they won't need any formal introductions.

India's Nirupama Rao and Pakistan's Salman Bashir struck up a cordial relationship in Beijing when they were both posted as ambassadors to China. They have kept in touch, meeting in New York last fall and on the sidelines of international conferences.

Read more ....

More News On The Upcoming India-Pakistan Talks

India, Pakistan meet after year of living dangerously -- Yahoo News/Reuters
India rejects Pakistan’s call for third party mediation -- India Express
Feb 25 talks not resumption of composite dialogue, asserts India -- Hindustan Times
Pak gives China blank cheque to help Indo-Pak ties, China 'not interested' -- Times of India
‘India forces change in Pakistan delegation for talks’ -- Dawn
India, Pak have differing agendas for FS-level talks -- Indian Express
'Pakistan serious on improving India ties' -- AFP

Is The U.S. Interfering In Pakistan's Internal Affairs?

Fawning Over Pak Military, US Undermines New Delhi Talks -- Times of India

WASHINGTON: India may be wasting its time and energy engaging Pakistan’s civilian set-up in the upcoming talks on February 25, going by the way Washington is primarily dealing with the country’s military and intelligence leadership in Rawalpindi and leaving Islamabad’s democratically-elected government in the lurch over sensitive parleys on terrorism.

US recognition of Pakistan’s military as the real power behind the civilian façade has been evident for some time, with American interlocutors, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, spending more time with the army brass in Rawalpindi than with the civilian leadership in Islamabad. But it has become glaringly evident this past week when Islamabad was left largely clueless about a CIA-ISI move to engage the Taliban in a move dressed up as the ''capture'' of Taliban No.2, Mullah Birather, in a joint operation.

Read more ....

My Comment: I know that India does not have good relations with Pakistan .... and Indian news coverage of Pakistan has almost always been universally negative .... but kudos to the Times Of India for this report and what it sees is happening in Pakistani politics, how the US is influencing Pakistani politics, and what may be the probable reasons for arresting the Taliban's Chief military Commander last week.

Their analysis (and commentary) on the February 25 peace talks between Indian and Pakistani officials is also a must read. Bottom line .... who rules Pakistan? .... the democratically elected political leadership or the ISI/Pakistan military. If US behavior is any indication, they are now putting their money on the ISI/Pakistan military.

Peace Talks Between India And Paksitan Will Continue Despite Terrorist Attack

India: Talks With Pakistan Undeterred By Pune Attack -- Christian Science Monitor

Indian officials said Monday that upcoming peace talks with Pakistan are on track despite Saturday's attacks in Pune which some suspect were orchestrated by a Pakistan-based terrorist group.

Indian officials said Monday that talks with Pakistan – scheduled for Feb. 25 in New Delhi – are on track despite the Feb. 13 cafe bombing that killed nine people in the Indian city of Pune.

Although there is no confirmed Pakistan link to the Pune bombing, analysts say the announcement shows that India is not allowing itself to be easily derailed from what will be the first peace talks since Delhi broke off dialogue between the two nuclear-armed nations after the Nov. 2008 Mumbai (Bombay) attacks that killed about 165. The Pune bombing is the largest terrorist attack on India since then.

Read more ....

My Comment: CSM presents a positive report on the upcoming India-Pakistan peace talks .... for a contrarian point of view read the following from the American Thinker .... India-Pakistan peace process derailed by bomb blast.

India Pakistan Peace Talks To Resume Feb. 25

An Indian Border Security Force soldier patrols amid heavy fog at the India-Pakistan joint check post at the Wagah border on the outskirts of the northern Indian city of Amritsar January 8, 2010. Reuters

Pakistan, India To Hold Talks On February 25 -- Washington Post/Reuters

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The top diplomats of nuclear-armed old rivals Pakistan and India will meet for talks in New Delhi on February 25, the Pakistani prime minister's office said on Friday.

India suspended a four-year-old peace process with Pakistan after an attack on the Indian city of Mumbai by Pakistan-based Islamist militants in 2008.

Read more ....

More News On The Upcoming India - Pakistan Peace Talks

'Date set' for India-Pakistan envoys to resume talks -- BBC
India, Pakistan to resume talks on Feb 25 -- AFP
India, Pakistan set date for talks -- CNN
Talks on February 25, says Pakistan -- The Hindu
India’s ‘amnesty’ to Pakistan-based Kashmiri rebels -- Reuters
Cynicism in air as India, Pak decide to talk -- DNA India

Is India Preping For War With China And Pakistan

India’s Controversial New War Doctrine -- ISN

Indian Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor has attracted much attention with his suggestion at a training command seminar that India is preparing for a 'two-front' war with Pakistan and China, Harsh V Pant comments for ISN Security Watch.

General Kapoor underlined that this was being done as part of the larger process whereby the Indian army was revising its old war-fighting doctrine and bringing it in sync with the emerging strategic scenario so as to be able to successfully firm up its ‘Cold Start’ strategy.

Read more ....

My Comment: My initial response to a scenario of all three countries going to war is nil .... there is no possibility that an armed conflict involving a third of humanity can possibly break out in today's world.

However .... when I reflect on the history of these three countries .... you cannot help but realize that there has been nothing but war and conflict between all sides. What is worse, is that the reasons that caused these wars and conflicts in the past are still there.

India's Doctrine is an understandable one, and I would not be surprise if both Pakistan and China have similar "doctrines".

India - Pakistan Negotiations Fail To Resume Negotiations

India And Pakistan Fail To Restart Negotiations -- New York Times

UNITED NATIONS — An attempt by India and Pakistan to agree on resuming either open or back-channel negotiations over the full range of their differences stalled on Sunday, stuck once more by the fallout from the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai by Pakistani militants.

After meeting for nearly two hours on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the foreign ministers of the two countries, Shah Mahmood Qureshi of Pakistan and S. M. Krishna of India, said both sides endorsed the idea of resuming negotiations but failed to concur on a timetable.

Read more ....

More News On India - Pakistan Relations

Pakistan, India at impasse in top diplomats' talks -- AP
Pakistan vows to act against Mumbai attacks -- AFP
Q+A-Any chance of a thaw between India and Pakistan? -- Reuters

My Comment: This is where the U.S. has always played a pivotal role in getting all of the parties together .... but unless I am wrong .... it appears that the U.S. is awol right now.