Pakistan, India NSAs hold 'secret talks' in Bangkok

KARACHI: Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Lt Gen (retd) Nasir Khan Janjua and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval met in Bangkok for talks earlier this week, Indian media reported on Sunday.

The meeting came on the heels of convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav’s meeting with his wife and mother in Islamabad on December 25, according to a report.

The meeting took place on December 26 at a “neutral venue” in the Thai capital and has nothing to do with Jadhav issue, reported The Indian Express.

It said the top officials of the foreign ministries of both countries were in the know about the meeting. Besides, the Pakistan’s military leadership was also kept informed about the meeting between the security advisers of the two countries.

According to media reports, the ceasefire violations along the LoC came under discussion during the meeting. However, there was no official word on the meeting from the Foreign Office.

Earlier in 2015, Janjua and his Indian counterpart had met in Bangkok. The matters pertaining to peace and security, terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir and tranquility along the restive Line of Control were discussed at the meeting, according to the Foreign Office.

Foreign secretaries of Pakistan and India Aizaz Chaudhry and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar were also present during the meeting as well.

Foreign Office stated that the two countries agreed to carry forward the constructive engagement in the meeting lasted for four hours.

Ties between India and Pakistan remained tense this year with the heavily militarized Line of Control (LoC), dividing the disputed Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir between the two countries, so often witnessing skirmishes and ceasefire violations.

India breached the ceasefire on the LoC on more than 1300 occasions this year, which led to over 50 civilian casualties and more than two hundred others sustained injuries.