NEW DELHI: India is expected to convey its concerns over continued ceasefire violations along the border in Jammu and Kashmir during a meeting between External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and Pakistan Prime Minister’s Foreign Adviser Sartaj Aziz, who will be here for a multilateral meet on November 11 and 12.
Aziz is travelling to India to attend the ASEM (Asia- Europe Meeting) foreign ministers meet in Gurgaon, suburbs of national capital.
“Though so far Pakistan has not asked for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines, but a pull aside is expected during Aziz’s stay,” sources said.
Asked if concerns over ceasefire violations will be raised by the Indian side, the sources said, “this will definitely give an opportunity to us to convey our concerns.”
Terming the ceasefire violations by Pakistan as matter of “grave concern”, Khurshid told PTI it was important to keep the sanctity of the Line of Control.
Last week Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that he was “disappointed” with Nawaz Sharif with whom he had a meeting in New York where had agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity on LoC as well as International Border.
“Let me say I am disappointed because in the New York meeting (between them last month) there was a general agreement on both the sides that peace and tranquillity should be maintained on the border, LoC as well as IB and it has not happened. It has come to me as a big disappointment,” Singh had told reporters accompanying him on his two-nation tour to Russia and China.
“We had agreed at that time that if the ceasefire of 2003 has held ground for 10 years, then it could be made to hold later on also. That it has not happened is something which is really a disappointment,” he said, adding even at this late hour he sincerely hoped that Sharif would recognise that this development “is not good for either of the two countries”.
The Prime Minister expressed his concerns against the backdrop of heavy firing by Pakistani troops not only along the LoC but also along the IB and the loss of lives of BSF personnel in the past few weeks and continued ceasefire violations even after the New York meeting.
Apart from Aziz, over 48 Foreign Ministers, including from Russia, China and the UK are expected to attend the meet.
The ASEM currently has 51 partners. These include 49 Asian and European nations and two regional groupings – the European Union and ASEAN. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel