The Asian Age

Is Pak playing a double game?

- NAMRATA BIJI AHUJA NEW DELHI, AUG. 8

Exposing Pakistan’s double game, it is now revealed that the Pakistan Army’s provocativ­e killing of five indian soldiers on August 5 has come at a time when the Indian government had taken an in- principle decision to restart the composite dialogue with Pakistan. Early this week, the ministry of external affairs had kickstarte­d the process and written a note to the ministry of home affairs that all eight forums of the composite dialogue should be started.

Notably, this is also being viewed as one of the reasons why the government was jittery in blaming the Pakistan Army directly for the LoC killings, lest it jeoperdise the critical talks set to revive between the two nations.

Incidental­ly, the dialgoue with Pakistan was halted post the beheading of Indian soldiers by the Pakistan Army troops in January 2013. As a result, the Indo- Pak home secretary level talks were postponed in March. Top government officials said that the MEA had now begun afresh the process to restart the dialogue.

The Indo- Pak composite dialogue has eight different platfors which stretch from talks between the water resources secretarie­s to the home secretarie­s of the two

The Pak Army’s provocativ­e attack has come at a time when India had in- principle agreed to restart the composite dialogue with Pakistan earlier this week

countries. The decision to re- start the dialgoue had the necessary approval of the Prime Ministers Office, the sources said.

But, with the fresh killings of Indian soldiers straining the ties between the two countries again, government sources said the MHA will take a call on the proposed HS talks once a final decision is taken at the ‘’ appropriat­e level’’.

In a daring attack, a group of 20 heavily- armed men had entered 450 metres into the Indian territory in Poonch sector on the intervenin­g night of August 5- 6 and ambushed a patrol, killing five Indian soldiers. The regulars of the Pakistan Army were accompanie­d by LeT and JeM terrorists — who are part of Pakistan’s Border Action Team. The BAT is solely tasked to infiltrate terrorists into India and carry out violent attacks on the Indian Army and border guarding forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

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