ISLAMABAD: The Chaophraya Dialogue has jointly been managed by Jinnah Institute (JI) and the Australia-India Institute since 2008.
Days after the Gurdaspur attacks and renewed violence across the Line of Control, a senior group of interlocutors from India and Pakistan looked at permanent cross border mechanisms that can deal with militancy and terrorism, so that the progress made at Ufa between premiers Sharif and Modi may not roll back.
Meeting at the 16th Chaophraya Dialogue in Bangkok, an Indo-Pak Track 2 engagement that once served as the unofficial communication between New Delhi and Islamabad, interlocutors emphasized the need to sustain the ceasefire along the LoC and IB/WB.
They suggested more frequent meetings between the NSAs, DGMOs, DG BSF and DG Pakistan Rangers to eliminate ceasefire violations, in addition to candidly discussing gains made after Operation Zarb-e-Azb against terrorism.
They recounted how many times the LoC had been violated over the last 12 months, as well as casualties on both sides. A quick and ready exchange of intelligence was crucial to prevent terrorist acts, they felt, as well as progressively higher levels of contact between intelligence officials.
Evolving threats like Daesh/ISIS that have a transnational character make this task more urgent, as participants discussed how militant cells cooperating with ISIS had been discovered in India and Pakistan.
They also expressed grave concern at the increasing presence of the Daesh/ISIS in Afghanistan and discussed how the agencies of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan could coordinate efforts towards intelligence sharing.
Participants discussed the ongoing 26/11 Mumbai trials in Rawalpindi and its legal complications. They encouraged the two sides to enter into a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) in criminal matters based on a model treaty available with SAARC, so that the 26/11 and Samjhauta trials could be expedited.
Thus far the absence of MLA mechanisms had slowed down the investigations, as they made the exchange of legal material and evidence fraught with difficulty. Participants also underscored the need for insulating the trials from undue political scrutiny and letting the process stay a legal course.
They encouraged both sides to cooperate on capacity building of law-enforcement agencies, share best practices, and consider if some of these initiatives could be taken up at the SAARC level.
Participants also took note of the regional environment that impacted Indo-Pak relations, including China’s investments in CPEC and the AIIB.
They saw the Ufa meeting and resumption of official dialogue as a welcome development and hoped that the forthcoming NSA meetings would be productive, leading to cooperation on all outstanding issues.
The Pakistani delegation was led by Senator Sherry Rehman and comprised of former diplomats Najmuddin Shaikh, Aziz Ahmad Khan, Shafqat Kakakhel; Lt. Gen. (retired) Tariq Ghazi, MNA Daniyal Aziz, Salima Hashmi, Ahmer Bilal Soofi, Dr. Moeed Yusuf, Dr. Yaqoob Bangash, Khurram Husain, Zahid Hussain, Ahmad Rafay Alam, Fahd Humayun and Salman Zaidi.
The Indian delegation, led by Prof. Amitabh Mattoo, comprised of former ambassadors K.C. Singh, Jayant Prasad, Vivek Katju and G. Parthasarathy; Dr. Mohan Guruswamy, MPA Baijayant Jay Panda, Lt. Gen. (retired) Syed Ata Hasnain, Suhasini Haidar, Dr. Happymon Jacob and Dr. Mallika Joseph. Shoma Chaudhury and Dr. Pallavi Raghavan participated in the Chaophraya Task Force on Alternative Narratives and Histories.
