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India-Pakistan relations have deteriorated over the past two weeks with cross-border exchanges of fire an an almost daily basis, as well as terror attacks in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir for which India blames Pakistani terror groups.
The situation in the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir is tense, with the armies and border forces of Pakistan and India exchanging fire for weeks, killing troops and civilians caught in the cross-fire on both sides of the Line of Control that serves as an undeclared border.
A recent attack on a bus carrying Indian border personnel left one terrorist dead with another captured by locals who had been taken as hostages but managed to overpower the armed militants.
The captured militant later identified himself to Indian police as Pakistani resident Mohd Naved and showed no remorse for his actions. “This is fun … killing people (Hindus),” he said.
An Indian media outlet claimed to have spoken to his father in Pakistan, but Pakistan's Foreign Office denied the Indian allegation that the man was Pakistani.
"We have said several times that it is not fair to immediately lay the blame on Pakistan,” said Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah. “These things should be done on the basis of ground realities and facts. We expect that whenever blame is laid on Pakistan, it should be supported with concrete evidence."
The heightened tension in the border region has led to speculation that the National Security Advisor Level talks, which are supposed to begin in late August to restart the peace process, will instead be hijacked by allegations and counter allegations over the recent troubling events.
“Evidence will be given to Pakistan; now it depends what they do,” said Rahu Jalali, an Indian defence expert. “But I think the forthcoming NSA meeting which is scheduled around the Aug 23-24 is going to be crucial because we are going to present these evidence before Pakistan.”
And as the talks draw nearer the violence shows no sign of abating with an Aug 6 attack on a police post by armed men deep inside the forests of Jammu, an area that had previously been free of militancy.
Further strengthening the 350-400km border in the state of Jammu and Kashmir is one of the ways to prevent infiltration by terrorists despite the heavy presence of Pakistani and Indian troops on either side of the Line of Control. If the level of cross-border violence cannot be lowered, then the peace process between India and Pakistan will remain a non-starter.
The heightened tension in the border region has led to speculation that the National Security Advisor Level talks, which are supposed to begin in late August to restart the peace process, will instead be hijacked by allegations and counter allegations over the recent troubling events.
“Evidence will be given to Pakistan; now it depends what they do,” said Rahu Jalali, an Indian defence expert. “But I think the forthcoming NSA meeting which is scheduled around the Aug 23-24 is going to be crucial because we are going to present these evidence before Pakistan.”
And as the talks draw nearer the violence shows no sign of abating with an Aug 6 attack on a police post by armed men deep inside the forests of Jammu, an area that had previously been free of militancy.
Further strengthening the 350-400km border in the state of Jammu and Kashmir is one of the ways to prevent infiltration by terrorists despite the heavy presence of Pakistani and Indian troops on either side of the Line of Control. If the level of cross-border violence cannot be lowered, then the peace process between India and Pakistan will remain a non-starter.
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