How many times did Pak-India security advisers meet in Bangkok?

ISLAMABAD: How many meetings were held between Pakistan National Security Adviser Lt Gen (R) Nasser Khan Janjua and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval in Bangkok on December 6?

According to the Indian copy of the joint statement more than one meeting was held.Pakistan, however, maintains that only one meeting in which foreign secretaries Aizaz Ahman Chaudhry and S Jaishankar were also present, was held.

However, Karan Thapar in a report from New Delhi said, “The more intriguing question concerns the joint press release issued in Bangkok. It begins: “Pursuant to the meetings of the prime ministers of India and Pakistan in Paris…” Meetings? Is the plural a mistake? Or have we just stumbled upon another secret?”

When The News contacted the spokesman at the Foreign Office, he emailed the copy of the joint statement that was sent to him from Bangkok by the foreign secretary and he insisted that only one meeting was held.

It reads;

Joint Press Release

Meeting of NSAs and foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan Pursuant to the meeting of the prime ministers of India and Pakistan in Paris, the National Security Advisers, accompanied by the foreign secretaries, met in Bangkok today.

Discussions were held in a candid, cordial and constructive atmosphere. They were guided by the vision of the two leaders for a peaceful, stable and prosperous South Asia.

Discussions covered peace and security, terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir, and other issues, including tranquility along LoC. It was agreed to carry forward the constructive engagement.

6th December, 2015

Bangkok

However, the Twitter account of Indian spokesman at the External Affairs Ministry, Vikas Swarup which is still present on his Twitter handle, clearly states that “Pursuant to the meetings of the prime ministers of India and Pakistan…..”

One Indian official when approached by The News commented that it could be a typo.

If it was a ‘typo’, was the excitement so great in the Indian camp that a correction has still not been made?

Recently, an Indian journalist claimed that more than one meeting was held by the two prime ministers in Katmandu during the Saarc Summit. This was denied by both Islamabad and New Delhi.

It appears ‘typos’ come easy to Indian bureaucrats. Not too long ago in 2009, Pakistan prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met on the sidelines of a Non-Aligned Movement summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The joint statement at Sharm el Sheikh said that prime minister Gilani mentioned that Pakistan had some information on threats in Balochistan and other areas.

All hell broke loose when Singh returned to India and voices were raised on the inclusion of ‘Balochistan’ in the joint statement and the fact that ‘terrorism’ would not be the only subject between the two countries.

Eventually one of India’s finest diplomats, the Indian foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon said that Pak-India joint statement could be a case of “bad drafting” but its meaning was clear that India would not budge on the issue of terrorism.

Manmohan Singh government has been facing criticism from opposition parties within Parliament and outside on the Pak-India joint statement.

“One can argue how good or bad the drafting was…you can say it is bad drafting, but the meaning is clear,” he said in a lecture attended by parliamentarians.

Referring to the inclusion of Balochistan in the joint statement, Menon said, “Pakistan has been saying this for long. We say we have nothing to hide.”

No one could accept ‘bad drafting’ from the likes of Shivshankar who apparently was made the scapegoat, when his prime minister had agreed to have future dialogue where Kashmir would also be discussed clearly straying away from insistence that only ‘terrorism’ would be raised between the two sides.

Actually no one is arguing as to why several meetings between the two NSA’s were held, as everyone is quite happy that the two officials would take up ‘terrorism’, seriously. The question being raised is why is one side talking about a single meeting while the other insists that more than one were held? So now will Vikas Swarup do a Shivshankar and come up with an excuse of ‘bad drafting”?