India, Pakistan agree on military CBMs

India and Pakistan, on Thursday, made steady progress in their efforts to initiate confidence-building measures between the two armies by agreeing to finalise border ground rules, arrange frequent meetings between sector commanders and avoid construction of new defence posts along the Line of Control.

In the third round of expert-level talks between Dilip Sinha, joint secretary, External Affairs and Tariq Osman Hyder, additional secretary of Pakistan Foreign office, which ended here, it was agreed to finalise rules for implementation along the international borders of the two countries.

Elaborating on the significance of the agreement to finalise border rules, Hyder said both the countries have not revived the border ground rules since 1961. The situation had changed after the fall of East Pakistan and formation of Bangladesh.

"We will have to work out on the new border ground rules. Obviously we will draw on the examples of 1961," he said. Such rules are necessary for people to know how to act, he added.

The both sides also decided to permit quarterly meetings of the sector commanders in the agreed sectors. The commanders could meet on need basis and modalities of communications would be discussed further.

The two countries also agreed not to develop new posts and defence works along the Line of Control, which the joint statement issued at the end of talks said was 'consistent with the intent' of both sides to normalise the situation. They also decided to finalise an agreement on speedy return of people inadvertently crossing the borders between the two countries.

To a question, Hyder said Pakistan had proposed 24-hour time for the return of the inadvertent crossers. However, India said more time was needed for the verification. On the agreement of having no new posts along the LoC, he stated that modalities have not yet been agreed.

On Wednesday's agreement on an Indian draft of avoidance of accidental and unauthorised use of nuclear weapons -- Reducing Risk of Nuclear Accidents -- Hyder said both Pakistan and India were nuclear weapon states and had the joint linkage to act responsibly both in the interest of their people and the global peace.

"This is why both sides tried to have an early agreement," he said, adding, Pakistan has put forward all the elements, which enables it to sign the agreement and hoped that the Indian response would be positive.

Both sides concluded two-day talks on nuclear CBMs on Wednesday and devoted Thursday to discuss CMBs in the conventional field.

If India agrees to Pakistan's proposals, RRNA would be signed during the Foreign-Secretary level talks scheduled to be held in July this year, he said. Pakistan has also made use of the talks to convey its 'concern' over the recent India-US civilian nuclear deal, saying, it was 'not a positive development' in terms of strategic stability in the region.

Hyder said Pakistan would maintain minimum credible deterrence whatever development take place across the border.

Asked to comment on a statement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about a treaty of peace while flagging off the Amritsar-Nankana Sahib bus service, Hyder said Pakistan's doctrine is based on 'non-aggression'. He said Pakistan believed that intentions of both the countries had to match with the ground realities.

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