Chenab Formula & Musharraf’s four point formula - A possible Solution of the Kashmir Dispute and a criticism of the two proposals

Chenab Formula & Musharraf’s four point formula - A possible Solution of the Kashmir Dispute and a criticism of the two proposals

Possible Solutions

1. The Status Quo

 In 1947-48, India and Pakistan fought their first war over Jammu and Kashmir. Under United Nations’ supervision, they agreed to a ceasefire along a line which left one-third of the state administered by Pakistan and two-thirds by India. In 1972, under the terms of the Simla agreement, the ceasefire line was renamed the Line of Control (LoC). Although India claims that the entire state is part of India, it has been prepared to accept the Line of Control as the international border, with some possible modifications. Both the US and the UK have also favored turning the Line of Control into an internationally-recognized frontier  This is more or less what late Mr. Vajpayee offered to Pakistan during his visit to Lahore and Pakistan.

But Pakistan has consistently refused to accept the LoC as the border since the predominantly Muslim Kashmir Valley would remain as part of India. Formalizing the status quo also does not take account of the aspirations of the Kashmiri’s.

2. Kashmir Joins Pakistan

On 2nd November, 1947 India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawharlal Nehru announced on All India Radio that “Kashmir future will be decided by the means of plebiscite”. It essentially meant that the allegiance of the state of Jammu and Kashmir would be decided by the Kashmiri’s. Had the majority voted in favor of Pakistan, the whole state would have become part of Pakistan.

However the promise of plebiscite is still pending. India claims that people’s participation in elections shows that people are happy and there is no demand for any plebiscite. Pakistan and those opposing this viewpoint on the other hand say that the elections have never been free and fair in Kashmir and when they have been so, the people have voted for governance issues like roads, electricity and other amenities, and not for sorting out the Kashmir dispute.

However the demand for a plebiscite to be held, as recommended by the Governor-General of India, Lord Mountbatten in 1947, and endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, is still considered by Pakistan as a way of letting Kashmiri’s exercise their right of self-determination.

3. Kashmir Joining India

In 1947, the Maharajah of Jammu and Kashmir agreed to the state becoming part of India. India and Pakistan then agreed to hold a plebiscite to confirm which country Kashmir’s citizens wanted to join. The Indian Government believed that the majority population, under the charismatic leadership of Sheikh Abdullah, would vote to join India, with its secular constitution, rather than Muslim Pakistan. If the plebiscite had been genuinely held and the majority had voted in favour of India, Pakistan would have had to relinquish control of the Northern Areas and the narrow strip of Jammu and Kashmir. But, sensing an impending defeat of its aspirations, India has intentionally kept shut the door of plebiscite. Moreover, such a solution would be unlikely to bring any stability to the region as the Muslim inhabitants of Pakistani-administered Jammu and Kashmir have never shown any desire to become part of India.

4. Independent Kashmir

In the 1960s, following discussions between India and Pakistan over Jammu and Kashmir, a group of Kashmiri’s demanded that the entire state should become independent as it was prior to the Maharajah’s accession to India in 1947. But, the difficulty of adopting this as a potential solution is that it requires India and Pakistan to give up territory, which they will not be willing to do. Any plebiscite or referendum likely to result in a majority vote for independence would therefore probably be opposed by both India and Pakistan. It would also be rejected by the inhabitants of the state who are content with their status as part of the countries to which they already owe allegiance. And in view of the likely regional instability, an independent Kashmir is not supported by the international community either.

An independent Jammu and Kashmir might also set in motion the demand for independence by other states in both India and Pakistan and lead to a “Balkanisation” of the region.

5. A Smaller Independent Kashmir

If, as the result of a plebiscite, which offered the option of independence, the majority of the inhabitants of the Kashmir Valley chose independence and the majority of the inhabitants of Azad Jammu and Kashmir also chose independence, a smaller, independent Kashmir could be created by administratively joining these two areas together.

This would leave the strategically important regions of the Northern Areas and Ladakh, bordering China, under the control of Pakistan and India respectively. However both India and Pakistan would be unlikely to enter into discussions which would have this scenario as a possible outcome. Regardless of the aspirations of the inhabitants, to date neither country has contemplated a situation where the end result would adversely affect their own interests.

6. Independent Kashmir II

The movement for independence in the Kashmir Valley gained momentum in the late 1980s when Kashmiri’s protested against their continuing allegiance to the Indian Union. In the present day, if a regional plebiscite offered independence as an option, it is possible that the majority of Kashmiri’s would vote in favor of independence. Moreover, an independent Kashmir has been considered by some as the best solution because it would address the grievances of those who have been fighting against the Indian Government since long. But critics say that the region would not be economically viable without external assistance.

7. The Chenab Formula

This plan, first suggested in the 1960s, would see Kashmir divided along the line of the River Chenab. With the inclusion of Ladakh, which also lies north of the Chenab River, India would be left with approximately 3,000 square miles of territory out of 84,000 square miles. This would give the vast majority of land to Pakistan and, as such, a clear victory in its longstanding dispute with India. The entire valley with its Muslim majority population would be brought within Pakistan’s borders, as well as the majority Muslim areas of Jammu.

This solution would require the voluntary agreement of India to give up territory which it wants to retain. It is impossible to see what benefit India could derive from the transfer of so much land, and why the government – or the inhabitants of the region who are not contesting their status – would ever agree to such a solution.

8. The Chenab Formula II

Chenab Formula is one the seven popular formulas given for resolving Kashmir conflict.  These series of formulas ranges to two extreme with one of them allotting entire Jammu and Kashmir State to Pakistan while other one allotting entire state to India.   The Chenab formula was proposed in late 1960s as one of the possible solution to conflict. However, it gained prominence (with some differences) during Musharraf period of Pakistan. It is based loosely on combination of 2 nation theories and geographic feasibility of division of the state.

Under the Chenab formula, the state of Jammu and Kashmir should be divided on the lines of Chenab River which flows through the state. If divided, the north of the river part will go to Pakistan while southern part will go to India. The formula can be described as follows:

1 Three entities to be carved out of the area of pre-1947. Jammu and Kashmir are now being administered by India. These three parts would be represented by a body which will take care of issues of common interest.

2 Two entities, in the part being administered, by Pakistan would be established, these being Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas. They would be represented in a coordinating body that would consider issues of mutual interest.

3. An All-Kashmir body will be set up to co- ordinate issues of broader interest such as trade , tourism , environment and water resources .this body will include representatives from each of the five entities as well ad from India  and Pakistan .

4. Each of the five entities would have its own constitution, flag, and legislature. Which would legislate on all matters other than defense and foreign affairs? India and Pakistan would be. Responsible for the defense of the entities and the entities would maintain their own internal law and order. India and Pakistan would be expected to work out the financial arrangements for the entities.

5. Citizenship of the entities would also entitle the citizens to acquire Pakistani or Indian passport depending on which side of the Line of Control they live in. Alternatively they could use entity passports subject to endorsement by India or Pakistan .as appropriate.

6. The border of the entities with India and Pakistan will remain  open for the free transit of people  , goods and services in accordance with arrangements 

to be worked out between India , Pakistan and the Entities .

7. While the present Line of Control will remain in place until such time as both  India and Pakistan decided to alter it in their mutual interest , both India and Pakistan will demilitarize the area included in the entities . Neither India nor Pakistan could place troops on the other side of the Line of Control without the permission of the other State.

8. All displaced persons who left any portion of The Entities would have the right to return to their home localities.

Musharraf’s Four-point Formula  

There have been numerous attempts, certainly, in the past to present proposals for resolving this dispute, but none has seemed to take hold. Musharraf’s Four Point Formula which was widely discussed in 2006 

    General Musharraf’s Four-point formula involves the following:

1.         Demilitarization or phased withdrawal of troops

2.         There will be no change of borders of Kashmir. However, people of Jammu & Kashmir will be allowed to move freely across the Line of Control.

3.         Self-governance without independence

4.         A joint supervision mechanism in Jammu and Kashmir involving India, Pakistan and Kashmir.

 9.  Discussion

Demilitarization is an option that was suggested by the United Nations and in particular by Sir Owen Dixon of Australia. This has been the demand of the leadership of the Kashmiri resistance that demilitarization from both sides of the Ceasefire Line will pave the way for a serious and thoughtful solution to the Kashmir dispute.

The Line of Control is in fact a line of conflict which needs to be eroded so that the people of Kashmir can move freely from one area to the other. But the problem arises when the ‘Four-point Formula’ says that borders cannot be withdrawn. That is a very loaded phrase. That means that the Line of Control should in fact be established permanently as an international border.   This would be a possible ‘solution’ for both India and Pakistan but not for the Kashmiri people. India lost an opportunity and the Butt, Guru and Wani affairs have perhaps brought the Kashmiri to a tipping point where a status within the Indian federation would not be at all acceptable

Self-governance undoubtedly has broad meaning. Self-governance means freedom, independence and autonomy. It means that the people would be makers of their destiny. It also means that one has to be the shaper of one’s future. So, the term self-governance by itself is not an issue but the concept of self-governance within the parameters of Four-point Formula is. It is problematic because under this plan, self-governance excludes the option of freedom or independence. In fact it clearly says that the people of Kashmir will be given self-governance without independence. Will India retain the power to tax the Kashmiris?  Will people have a hand in the politics and influence who has the mandate to rule? Will they pass new laws which infringe on the limited self-rule the Kashmiris possess?  Where does self-rule begin and where does it end, if Kashmir does not possess sovereignty over its land?

The drafters of the four-point formula have been quite conscious of the sentiments of the people of Kashmir. They knew that the resistance to foreign occupation that began in 1931 and continues until now does not accept de-facto rule by any country over Kashmir. Therefore, they wanted to play a linguistic game and came up with the idea of self-governance which is a deceptive and misleading term that gives an appearance of sovereignty without any substance. It is purely a mask. It prohibits further discussion on the subject of independence and promotes internalization of the Kashmir dispute. Without actual sovereignty for Kashmir, under the Four-point formula, the people of Kashmir will have to accept the supremacy and rule of India over their lives, and the possibility of that being eroded by whatever whim, fancy or circumstance may intervene in the future. Perhaps self-governance now, designed and managed by external powers, which is subject to the will of those foreign powers without due respect for the sovereignty of Kashmir and all the international protections that accompany it, has the appearance of a step in the right direction but on an extremely slippery slope. Self-governance is a mere illusion: what is given can be taken away, when it does not in fact include true sovereignty. 

Those who believe that the people of Kashmir should accept the Musharraf’s Four-point formula should be bold enough to say exactly what it is i.e., that the formula gives the people of Kashmir only choice and that is to be part of India. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. This is only a slightly broader version of Article 370 drafted in 1949 which today practically has become meaningless.

  In order to reach an imaginative settlement of the Kashmir dispute, all parties concerned – Governments of India & Pakistan and the leadership of the people of Kashmir – will have to show flexibility. But in the Four-point formula the only party which becomes a sacrificial lamb and shows flexibility and makes sacrifice are the people of Kashmir. That should not be an option.  The demand for self-determination is greater now than it has been in many years.  

Dr Shireen M Mazari has stated that Pakistan needs to aggressively put forward concrete proposals for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute on the basis of the UN resolutions,  on principle of self determination and plebiscite, comprising the details of intermediary steps.

 Proposed solution should problem resemble the Irish Peace Accord. She made it clear that she was not referring to any specific clauses of the said accord but the broad concept on the basis of which the accord was signed and implemented. She also referred to the East Timor independence based on the concept of self determination and said Pakistan should press the Kashmir case on these lines. She also said Pakistan should ask the United Nations to document all the Kashmiri’s in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and also of the Kashmiri Diaspora across the world who qualified to vote in the referendum based on the UN resolutions whenever it took place adding that such documentation needed to be done. The minister said the citizens of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) were already documented because they were participating in regular elections.

 The Anglo-Irish Agreement was a 1985 treaty between the United Kingdom and Ireland which aimed to help bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.The treaty gave the Irish government an advisory role in Northern Ireland's government while confirming that there would be no change in the constitutional position of Northern Ireland unless a majority of its people agreed to join the Republic. It also set out conditions for the establishment of a devolved consensus government in the region.

An independence referendum was held in East Timor on 30 August 1999. The referendum's origins lay with the request made by the President of Indonesia, B. J. Habibie, to the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 27 January 1999, for the United Nations to hold a referendum, whereby the Indonesian province would be given choice of either greater autonomy within Indonesia or independence.

 Conclusion

Kashmir conflict is no doubt an intractable conflict making all parties to search for a formula to resolve the conflict peacefully. What could be the political framework that will accommodate the Kashmiri aspiration for self-determination, the interests of India and Pakistan is the real challenge for those who seek peace in the region.

Considering the ground geo-political realities in the Indian sub-continent, the most workable solution to the Kashmir dispute seems to be minimizing the security forces in Kashmir and granting basic human rights to the Kashmiri’s, reliving them from daily frisking, and focus should be on creating more employment and education opportunity for Kashmiri’s. While this may not be the ultimate solution to this issue, it may well prepare some ground for a better solution and meanwhile relieve the people of the region from their day-to-day turmoil. Musharaff did provide the Indians an opportunity, He gave one sided concessions which included the elimination of State owned training camps etc ; and allowed the Indians to fence the LoC and Line of Actual Control , this was a big concessions for which neither the Pakistanis nor the Kashmiri’s got any counter concession. India did not use the respite offered wisely, Butt, Guru and Wani incidents have brought the Kashmiri’s to a tipping point. Post Wani’s martyrdom  the freedom movement is no linger in control of the Freedom leadership in Kashmir the Indian actions have now brought the Kashmiri Muslims to a tipping point where any Indian presence or role is completely off the table.

Norwegian Initiative

December 14, 2018, 9:44 AM IST

The meeting of former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik with Kashmiri separatists in Srinagar has drawn sharp reactions from former diplomats, security advisors and strategic thinkers, given India’s declared policy on Kashmir of not allowing third-party mediation on the issue.

Of the experts whom News18 reached out to, some called the move - of bringing in an outsider apparently to mediate in the affairs of Kashmir - as “unfortunate” and a move “against India’s national interest”. A former diplomat even took a dig at Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, whose Art of Living (AoL) organised Bondevik’s visit, saying that Shankar seemed to be under the illusion of being “a great peacemaker.” Bondevik, who heads the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights, visited Srinagar on November 25, where he met senior Hurriyat leaders, members of chamber of commerce and of the bar association. A week later he visited Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and met the local leaders there.

Reacting to the developments, seasoned diplomat and former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, G Parthasarathy told News18, “We have a bigger policy to deal with Pakistan. Our relations will be settled bilaterally. There is an agreement which we have to always observe—the Shimla agreement.”

He added that there was a need to look “seriously” on the issue of Bondevik meeting Hurriyat leaders, and the manner in which this development came about. This was not the right way to negotiate. Bondevik at the time had said, “There are channels of communications open with Pakistan and backchannel talks that are never made public”.

Kanwal Sibal, former foreign secretary termed the meeting between Bondevik and separatists as “unfortunate”.

“It is very unfortunate that the sense was not shown by such people by interfering in very delicate foreign policy issues which goes against India's national interest,” Sibal said.

Taking a dig at Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Sibal said, “He has illusion about being a great peacemaker internationally.”

Shankar had organised a peace meet in Srinagar earlier in March this year as well. The event ran into controversy after a section of the audience reportedly left the venue before the spiritual leader could finish his address. Some local dailies quoted several attendees complaining they had been "tricked" into attending with promised gifts of cricket kits, sewing machines and bank loan waivers. AOL representatives had denied the reports.

On the question that how it could have been possible for Bondevik to travel to Kashmir without permission of the government, Sibal said, foreign diplomats visit Kashmir and there is no bar.

“This was not advisable and that this was touching upon very core national security sensitivities of India reliable to complications in the bilateral relationship,” he said.

Sibal says that the Norwegian ambassador to India should not have allowed this to happen.

“I think this is part of loose approach against the separatists. This is not a happy development at all because it creates confusion about our foreign policy,” Sibal said.

Sources say there might be more meetings between Hurriyat and representatives from AoL.

“There are general elections ahead. We will have to be a bit patient. Developments can take place only after the new government is formed,” said a person involved with AoL’s events in Kashmir.

However contrary opinions, hailing the initiative, were also expressed. Among those who welcomed the move was former R&AW chief and Kashmir advisor to former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, AS Dulat.

Dulat said that the fact that Bondevik could travel all the way to Srinagar and meet Geelani meant that New Delhi was also on board.

He said that “there is no option but to talk”. He expressed optimism about Bondevik’s meeting saying “Scandinavians are masters” in settling disputes.

“They are masters of negotiations. They have always remained neutral and are very good at talking,” Dulat said referring to Irish settlement and other negotiations. “This is not a big development but certainly a positive one. Now we will have to see Mr Bondevik’s follow-up on this.”

According to some sources who were privy to the half-hour long discussion that happened between Geelani and Bondevik at the former’s residence, the “follow-up” on the meeting is likely to be with the “four-point” formula in the agenda.

Also known as the Musharraf formula or the Manmohan-Musharraf formula, the four-point formula is basically an idea of demilitarization, maximum autonomy, making border irrelevant, and joint management of the region.

It was the basis on this formula that the former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said, according to a leaked diplomatic cable, that the two sides had come quite close to resolving the Kashmir dispute. A final draft in keeping with the four-point template was reportedly being worked upon by the “back-channels”.

Most leaders in Kashmir, when the four-point formula was being touted as the key to resolving Kashmir dispute, including Abdullah and Mirwaiz, had shown willingness to work on it. But Geelani had been its most severe critic.

When asked about the reports that talks may be headed in the direction of the four-point formula, Dulat said, “It is the best point to start at.” “All the people including the separatists accept it. You might end at two points or two-and-a-half but it is the best point to start talks.”

Gupkar Declaration An Absolute Fallacy Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai Secretary General World Kashmir Awareness Forum Washington, DC August 27, 2020 On August 22, 2020, the pro-India leadership in Srinagar (Capitol city of Kashmir) issued Gupkar Declaration, stating that they “are committed to strive for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A, the Constitution of J&K and the restoration of the State.” Let us analyze the Declaration dispassionately but from a Kashmiri perspective. The Gupkar Declaration says, “The series of measures undertaken on 5th August 2019 were grossly unconstitutional.” But Gupkar Declaration fails to mention that these measures also contravene the UN Security Council resolutions #122 and #126 adopted on January 24, 1957, and December 2, 1957, respectively. These resolutions prohibit any unilateral action targeted at changing the disputed nature of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. It is important to mention here that the United Nations Security Council Resolution # 122 “reaffirms the affirmation of its resolution 91 (1951) and declares that the convening of a constituent assembly as recommended by the General council of the ‘All Jammu and Kashmir National Conference’ and any action that assembly may have taken or might attempt to take to determine the future shape and affiliation of the entire State or any part thereof, or any action by the parties concerned in support of any such action by the assembly, would not constitute a disposition of the State in accordance with the above principle.” Leaving aside linguistic and strategic maneuvering, the Gupkar Declaration leads us to one conclusion: that the autonomy is the only option. But the present situation in Kashmir has also made it abundantly clear that the autonomy is unjust, untenable and not acceptable to the people of Kashmir. The Aazadi is the only catch phrase of resistance on the streets of Kashmir which does not mean autonomy but right to self-determination. When Arundhati Roy, internationally known Indian human rights activist was asked on October 3, 2019, what do the people of Kashmir want, she responded: “I don’t think that they could have been clearer. They’ve been saying it for 70 years. They’ve been saying it loudly. They’ve been saying it with their blood since 1990. Of course, it’s self-determination. You know, of course, it’s self determination.” Now the question arises why should some friendly country endorse the Gupkar Declaration which goes against the UN Security Council resolutions and more importantly against the wishes and will of the people of Kashmir. Here are few possibilities: i. It could be due to ignorance or disregard of inalienable right to self-determination that Gupkar Declaration is being invoked. ii. There exists apprehension that, whether on account of its present internal weaknesses or under external pressure, the Government of Pakistan will be forced to dilute its stand on Kashmir. iii. Being here in the west, we smell that the two ideas are being discussed between the few world capitols and Islamabad on one side and these capitols and India on the other. First, turning the Line of Control (LoC) into a permanent international border. Such an option is an insult to the intelligence of the people of Kashmir. It also cynically mocks their suffering. The people of Kashmir revolted against the status quo; how can they accept the status quo as a settlement? And second, autonomy or self-governance for Kashmir within the Indian Union. The policy makers of these capitols view the Kashmir dispute as a problem between Srinagar and New Delhi, which can be solved by improving their relations. Pakistan, they feel, can be mollified easily. They have consistently sought to dodge the question of sovereignty over Kashmir when that is the heart of the issue and it can neither be finessed nor be evaded. There seems to be an inherent incapacity to empathies with suffering populations unless some political advantage can be derived from a pretended concern. iv. There is also a serious discussion going on in many important Capitols to pursue the Musharraf formula to resolve the Kashmir dispute. If one did not know the authorship of the Musharraf formula and were asked to guess it, one would say that a fairly clever strategist has crafted it to confuse the whole issue and, in the bargain, to throw dust in the eyes of world powers. The world powers forget that ‘Restoration of Article 370,’ or ‘self-governance,’ or ‘Musharraf's formula’, or ‘Autonomy’ is a clear fallacy. Here you will have to rely on a provision of the Indian Constitution. All Constitutions of the world are subject to amendments and Indian Constitution is no exception. If not now, in the foreseeable future, like India did on August 5, 2019, this provision can be deleted from the Constitution and the move will not even need a debate in the Indian Parliament. The world powers also need to know that Kashmiris have had the experience of a limited autonomy, which was first practiced under a personal understanding between Nehru, then the prime minister of India and Sheikh Abdullah, then the prime minister of Jammu & Kashmir and later provided for by Section 370 of the Indian Constitution. It was eroded and eventually whittled away by the forces of circumstances. In conclusion, the United Nations resolutions on Kashmir acquire a continuing decisive importance from two crucial factors. One, they constitute the only international agreement freely negotiated between India and Pakistan on the future status of Kashmir. Two, they embody the only principle on whose basis a just and durable settlement of the problem can be achieved- -- the principle of freedom of choice by the people concerned. Therefore, it is fair to say that no settlement of the status of Kashmir will hold unless it is explicitly based on the principles of self-determination and erases the so-called line of control, which is in reality the line of conflict. Dr. Fai can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435 or gnfai2003@yahoo.com www.kashmirawareness.org

India Pakistan Relations: (Monthly) Update(JR112)

India Pakistan Relations: (Monthly) Update (JR 112)

India Pakistan relations seem to be frozen and there seems to be little hope that these will normalise very soon. This, however, is not exactly correct, as there is ongoing movement in these apparently frozen relations. This page will document these changes on a monthly basis. Recent happenings (air strikes, Pulwama attack, downing of Indian planes etc.)are a setback,  but nevertheless there is still some movement towards normalisation .

India Pakistan Relations: July, 2019  

Introduction

The apparently frozen India Pakistan relations are evolving. Pakistan Army /government have made various statements to the effect that they would like to normalize these relations. The Army seeks normalization to result in stop to unconstrained Indian firing over the Line of Control.. Better than words, actions by the Army and government have very clearly exhibited the keen desire of Pakistan to achieve normal relations with India. India has expressed no desire for sub normalization, but there are undercurrents that suggest otherwise. There is also this inference that I draw for Pakistan Army actions and statements that they The Pakistan Army is engaged in Track two diplomacy, with India, on Kashmir and normalization of relations.

1.     Sialkot guradwara: July, 1, 2019: A gurdwara dating back 500 years in Sialkot has now been opened for Sikh pilgrims coming in from India. Pilgrims from the neighbouring country and from abroad can now flock to perform their religious obligations at Gurdwara Babe-de-Ber. According to the Sikh tradition, when Guru Nanak arrived in Sialkot from Kashmir in the 16th century, he stayed under the tree of Beri. Sardar Natha Singh then built a gurdwara in his remembrance at the site.

2.   Kartarpur opening; July, 2, 2019: Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the Kartarpur Corridor project on the 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak in the last week of November, at a ceremony which could be attended by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. Both the countries have had a high-level communication in this regard. According to the Prime Minister House sources, Prime Minister Modi is also expected to show up at the inauguration ceremony

3.   Hafiz Saeed booked: July, 4,2019: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab on Wednesday in a major crackdown against terror financing registered 23 cases against Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and 12 aides for using five trusts to “funnel funds to terror suspects”. The CTD said it had registered cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act in Lahore, Gujranwala and Multan against the leadership of banned outfits JuD, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF). They will be prosecuted in anti-terrorism courts.  They were raising funds for terror financing using five trusts — Dawatul Irshad Trust, Moaz Bin Jabal Trust, Al Anfaal Trust, Al Madina Foundation Trust and Alhamd Trust. Those booked include Saeed’s brother-in-law Abdul Rehman Makki, Ameer Hamza, Yahya Aziz. MaliK Zafar Iqbal, Muhammad Naeem, Mohsin Bilal, Abdul Raqeeb, Dr Ahmad Daud, Dr Muhammad Ayub, Abdullah Ubaid, Muhammad Ali and Abdul Ghaffar. “All the assets of these organizations and individuals will be frozen and taken over by the state,” said a counter-terrorism senior official. They are accused of “promoting terrorism and rising funds to facilitate terror activities”. These proscribed outfits were operating under the guise of charities and raiding funds for terror financing, the CTD said. 

4.   Track II talks: Jan 25, 2019: The sixth round of Track-II dialogue between Pakistan and India will begin in Bangkok, Thailand, on Thursday with the main focus on the issues related to nuclear safety and security in the region. The talks are being arranged jointly by a newly formed think-tank Jinnah Institute Pakistan (JIP) and Institute of Peace and Security, India. Talking to Dawn on Tuesday, JIP president and a Pakistan People's Party MNA Sherry Rehman, who will lead the Pakistan delegation, said the agenda of the talks included resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan at the official level and preparation of a roadmap for sustainable peace between the two South Asian neighbours. She said leading experts and retired military and Foreign Service officials from both the sides would focus on the positions of the two countries on issues such as nuclear safety and security, stability and crisis management, arms control and disarmament, nuclear risk reduction measures and possible avenues of cooperation. Former high commissioner to India Aziz Ahmed Khan, former army chief Gen (retd) Jahangir Karamat, TV anchor Nasim Zehra, Dr Rifaat Hussain, professor and chair, Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, former foreign secretaries Humayun Khan and Najmuddin Khan, former DG Air Force Strategic Command AVM (retd) Shehzad Chaudhry and Sehar Tariq of the JIP will also represent Pakistan at the dialogue. The Indian side, led by Gen (retd) Dipankar Banerjee, a retired army man and an eminent defence, foreign policy and strategic expert, includes Prof Amitabh Mattoo of Jawaharlal Nehru University, former director Research and Analysis Wing A. S. Daulat, Net Assessment and Simulation, National Security Council chairman Admiral (retd) Raja Menon, former high commissioner to Pakistan G. Parthasarthy and Siddharth Vardarajan, strategic affairs editor of The Hindu. Ms Rehman said it was a comprehensive dialogue process. She agreed that there had been some changes in the both sides, but the two countries brought core groups of experts that ensured continuity and some level of trust. .

5.   Kartarpur: July, 15,2019:   India on Sunday mounted pressure on Pakistan to act against New York-based 'Sikhs for Justice', which the Government of India has outlawed, and linked it to further progress in Kartarpur Corridor talks even as Islamabad has done a damage control exercise and ejected Khalistani separatist leader Gopal Singh Chawla from its official panel. After the crucial second round of talks held at Wagah on Pakistani side of the international border near here, SCL Das, the leader of Indian delegation and a joint secretary in Ministry of Home Affairs, told reporters here that Pakistani delegation has been conveyed "in very emphatic terms" about all concerns on security related matters. "Pakistan side assured our delegation that no anti-India activity would be allowed," an MEA statement said giving details of the parleys on the modalities for operationalisation of the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor at Wagah. ".....they will act on it...," Mr Das said to a question at the media briefing on whether India trusts Pakistan on these assurances. "About security concerns, we have said earlier also and now I am repeating, it is a matter of paramount concern...There is no possibility of any let up from either side.  . Indian side handed over a dossier on security matters and a gazette notification copy of July 10 ban imposed on 'Sikhs for Justice' by the central government. "On July 10, centre took a firm stand in pursuance of its 'zero tolerance' against terror and banned New York-based SFJ.  "We have reports that the SFJ operates in Pakistan and especially in parts of Punjab in that country itself". "....We will definitely keep things under close watch and we will follow up on whatever we have said today. There is no let up in this....we will keep a very close watch on how things evolve," he said. Pak on back foot: For its part, Pakistan though put on back foot vis-a-vis  Khalistani Gopal Singh Chawla issue remained optimistic and termed Sunday's talks as "positive developments". The Kartarpur corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district and is aimed at ensuring a visa-free movement of pilgrims to pay homage at the Kartarpur Sahib, which was set up in 1522. The first Sikh guru and the faith founder Guru Nanak Dev spent his last days there. "There are positive developments. Both sides have agreed 80 per cent and beyond regarding the Kartarpur corridor agreement," said Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman and DG South Asia Mohammad Faisal. "This is a corridor of peace and we have planted a sapling of peace," he said. Faisal also tweeted a snap of him planting a sapling. The first round of talks was held in Attari on March 14 despite the Pulwama terror at The second round of talks, which were originally scheduled on April 2, was cancelled by India after Pakistan nominated Khalistani separatist like Gopal Singh Chawla in a 10-member Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhik Committee (PSGPC). Pakistan on Saturday dropped Chawla from its official panel on the corridor. The removal of Chawla is seen as 'a damage control' exercise by the Imran Khan regime which has agreed for Kartarpur Corridor in November 2018. Kartarpur Sahib is located in Pakistan's Narowal district across the river Ravi. At the Sunday's talks, the Pakistan delegation assured India that among other things that they will 'act' on the dossier. "We have given them detailed information and we have sought confirmation that individuals like Gopal Chawla have indeed been removed bodies where we have objections to," said Das, the leader of the Indian delegation. Mr Das said Pakistan delegation assured that they will take note of the material provided and dossier and including the gazette notification on New Delhi imposing ban on SJF on July 10.

6.   Pakistan opens airspace: July, 16, 2019: Pakistan's airspace has been reopened to civil aviation with immediate effect, the Civil Aviation Authority said on Tuesday, following months of restrictions imposed in the wake of a standoff with India earlier this year."With immediate effect Pakistan airspace is open for all type of civil traffic on published ATS (Air Traffic Service) routes," according to a notice to airmen (NOTAMS) published on the authority’s website.   

7.   Sikh pilgrims: July, 31, 2019: As many as 500 Sikh pilgrims crossed over to Pakistan from India through the Wagah border to visit Nankana Sahib to open the celebrations of the upcoming 550th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak in November. `Pakistan feels honoured that celebrations of the 550th Birth Anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak by Indian Sikhs are being started from Nankana Sahib. The Government of Pakistan is taking a number of important initiatives including opening of the Kartarpur Corridor to make the 550th Birth Anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak memorable and historic,` it said. `But there will be no Nagar Kirtan (a religious procession) in Nankana, as it should begin on the Indian soil and end here since Pakistan is the birthplace of Baba Guru Nanak Dev,` he added.` Pakistan has issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to Sardar Parmjeet Sarna to start Nagar Kirtan from India and bring it here with 1,000 to 1,500 pilgrims,` a senior official, requesting anonymity, explained.  

8.    

India Pakistan Relations: June, 2019  

Introduction

The apparently frozen India Pakistan relations are evolving. Pakistan Army /government have made various statements to the effect that they would like to normalize these relations. The Army seeks normalization to result in stop to unconstrained Indian firing over the Line of Control.. Better than words, actions by the Army and government have very clearly exhibited the keen desire of Pakistan to achieve normal relations with India. India has expressed no desire for sub normalization, but there are undercurrents that suggest otherwise. There is also this inference that I draw for Pakistan Army actions and statements that they The Pakistan Army is engaged in Track two diplomacy, with India, on Kashmir and normalization of relations.

1.     1. Pakistan allows Modi to fly over its airspace: June, 11,2019: Pakistan on June 10 decided in principle to let Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aircraft fly over its airspace to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan where he has to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit on June 13-14, where his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan would also be present. Pakistan had fully closed its airspace on February 26 after an Indian Air Force (IAF) strike in Balakot. Since then, it has only opened two routes; both of them pass through southern Pakistan, of the total 11. The official confirmed to PTI that the Imran Khan government has approved in principle the Indian government’s request to let Mr. Modi’s aircraft fly over the Pakistani airspace to Bishkek. “

2.   Modi replies to Imran’s letter: June, 20.2019:  there is a clear reiteration in the letter for Pakistan to create a "conducive" environment "free of terror". While there were mentions of ridding the region of terrorism, no specific resumption of dialogue was mentioned in the letters of PM Modi and EAM Jaishankar. The letter said, "India wants good relations with all of its neighboring countries", emphasizing on the fact that India wants "peace and stability" in order for the region to progress.

3.   5>.India conditionally relaxes airway use: June 1, 2019:  IAF, in a tweet, said temporary restrictions on all air routes in the Indian airspace, imposed by the IAF on February 27, 2019 have been removed This, say highly placed sources, is India's gesture to Pakistan to open up its airspace for overflying reciprocally and shorten flying distance between parts of South Asia and the west. In one of the first moves after assuming office, the Modi-II government has removed all temporary restrictions in Indian air space. This essentially, say highly placed sources, is India's gesture to Pakistan to open up its airspace for overflying reciprocally and shorten flying distance between parts of South Asia, including Delhi, and the west. Since February 27, flights on these sectors are taking longer routes leading to an increase in flying time by up to three hours. Asked if the IAF tweet means a Pakistan International Airline flight from Lahore to Kathmandu can now overfly Indian airspace, the official said, "Technically yes. But these are matters of mutual agreement. We have indicated that India is okay with these flights, but for that to happen, Pakistan also has to open its airspace for airlines of other countries including India to overfly." Pakistan, 

4.   46>.Post elections: June, 1, 2019: The BJP was rewarded for adopting a muscular, nationalist posture in its election campaign. But avoiding diplomacy and other engagement, especially with a neighbor like Pakistan, is not in India’s interest. It cannot hope to achieve its economic ambitions if it still has a festering conflict with Pakistan. That’s why Modi, with a huge mandate from his reelection, should pursue informal backchannel talks with Pakistan, aiming to secure some guarantees from Islamabad about border issues and other tensions, before hopefully moving on to more formal talks. Modi treated Pakistan as an enemy to get reelected; now he must quietly try and find a way to improve ties.

5.   7..UNSC seat: June, 28, 2019: Fifty-five countries of the Asia-Pacific group, including Pakistan, ha Uve unanimously endorsed India’s candidature for a non-permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for a two-year term . Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey, UAE and Vietnam were among the countries which supported India.

6.    UNSC seat: June, 28, 2019: Fifty-five countries of the Asia-Pacific group, including Pakistan, have unanimously endorsed India’s candidature for a non-permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for a two-year term . Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey, UAE and Vietnam were among the countries which supported India.

7.   Kartarpur : June,30,2019:  Indian  government has written to Pakistan, proposing the next round of talks to be held from July 11 to 14 on the Pakistani side of the Attari-Wagah border.“The meeting would discuss the draft agreement on the modalities for movement of pilgrims along the Kartarpur corridor and resolve outstanding technical issues related to alignment and infrastructure along the corridor,” an official source said.  “We will continue to work for early operationalisation of the Kartarpur Corridor and keeping it functional all year round,” Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on June 20. However, talks had been put off as India had sought “clarifications” on several issues including whether to build a bridge or a causeway over the Ravi, proposed caps on pilgrim numbers, and the presence of Khalistani separatists in key posts of the gurdwara committee in Pakistan. Asked if the new Indian proposal for dates meant that the issues had now been resolved, a source said that the move “shows India’s commitment to the corridor”. 

India Pakistan Relations: May, 2019  

Introduction

The apparently frozen India Pakistan relations are evolving. Pakistan Army /government have made various statements to the effect that they would like to normalize these relations. The Army seeks normalization to result in stop to unconstrained Indian firing over the Line of Control.. Better than words, actions by the Army and government have very clearly exhibited the keen desire of Pakistan to achieve normal relations with India. India has expressed no desire for sub normalization, but there are undercurrents that suggest otherwise. There is also this inference that I draw for Pakistan Army actions and statements that they The Pakistan Army is engaged in Track two diplomacy, with India, on Kashmir and normalization of relations.

1.    Masud Azher : May.,2, 2019: Designation of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as 'global terrorist ..Is Pakistan helping BJP to come to power? The timing of this decision is intriguing, in the mid of Indian elections, this coupled by Pakistani PMs remarks that Modi’s victory could assist in progress in India Pakistan affairs and in resolution of the Kashmir dispute .

2.   Cross border shelling: May, 12, 2019: Islamabad has approached New Delhi suggesting that both stop using artillery in the contested Kashmir region. Pakistan has also vowed to remove Special Forces from the area. The Pakistani army had made the peace offer using existing military-to-military channels An Indian defense official said there were over 100 instances when shelling was recorded in the troubled state of Kashmir, but now the use of artillery “has considerably reduced.” Moratorium aside, Pakistan’s military ordered its Special Service Group (SSG) – an analogue of the American Green Berets – to withdraw from the Indian border. Islamabad seems to be willing to defuse tensions around Kashmir, Indian officials believe. “These are clear on-ground signals from Pakistan for de-escalation,”  

3.   LoC cross border firing; May, 15, 2019: The Indian army has requested Pakistan to stop the use of artillery fire after it suffered heavy losses in the recent military standoff between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. It indicates that the channel of communications that were suspended during the military standoff in February may have 

4.   Prisoner’s release: May, 15, 2019: In response to Pakistan’s goodwill gesture of releasing Indian prisoners, New Delhi on Tuesday released 13 Pakistani inmates who completed their jail terms. The released prisoners, which included four fishermen who illegally entered Indian waters, were handed over to Pakistani authorities at the Wagah Border. Meanwhile, at least three of the prisoners released were detained in India for overstaying their visas. In April, Pakistan had released over 360 Indian fishermen in a bid to improve relations with its arch-rival.

5.   Melting ice: May. 23, 2019: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj held an informal dialogue on the sideline of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday. "We made it clear to her that we want all the matters resolved through dialogue. Even today we are ready for a dialogue," he added.

6.   Flight allowed to use Pak airspace: May, 27, 2019: Islamabad made a rare exception for External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to fly directly through Pakistani airspace to attend the SCO meet in Bishkek last week, officials in Delhi and Islamabad confirmed to The Hindu. “The Indian government had requested us to allow Ms. Swaraj to fly over Pakistan to avoid the longer route, and we gave them permission,” said Mohammad Faisal, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson. Government sources in Delhi confirmed the development. “The overflight permission was granted by Pakistan based on route permission filed by relevant [Indian] authorities. External Affairs Minister’s flight to Bishkek was over Pakistani airspace both ways,” a source said. 

7.   Modi congratulated  : May, 27 ,2019: PM  on Sunday spoke to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to congratulate him and his party over the victory in the recent parliamentary elections, reiterating his vision for peace and prosperity in South Asia. The exchange of pleasantries between the two leaders is seen as sign of easing of tensions between the two neighbors. Sunday’s contact between PM Imran and his Indian counterpart was the first since the two nuclear armed neighbors were on the brink of a war in February following the Pulwama attack.

India grant over flight : May  29, 2019: India granted permission for Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s aircraft to fly over the country for his visit to Male and Colombo, a gesture that would be reciprocated by Pakistan for External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj a fortnight later, despite a ban by Pakistan on the use of its airspace for flights approaching from its eastern side after traversing India. Both the Indian and the Pakistani officials have confirmed that Pakistan requested for a passage for Mr. Qureshi’s flight to Male on May 2 and for his return flight from Colombo on May 4. Mr. Qureshi, however, cancelled the trip following the bomb attacks in Sri Lanka.

8.   India conditionally relaxes airway use: June, 2019:  IAF, in a tweet, said temporary restrictions on all air routes in the Indian airspace, imposed by the IAF on February 27, 2019 have been removed This, say highly placed sources, is India's gesture to Pakistan to open up its airspace for overflying reciprocally and shorten flying distance between parts of South Asia and the west. In one of the first moves after assuming office, the Modi-II government has removed all temporary restrictions in Indian air space. This essentially, say highly placed sources, is India's gesture to Pakistan to open up its airspace for overflying reciprocally and shorten flying distance between parts of South Asia, including Delhi, and the west. Since February 27, flights on these sectors are taking longer routes leading to an increase in flying time by up to three hours. Asked if the IAF tweet means a Pakistan International Airline flight from Lahore to Kathmandu can now overfly Indian airspace, the official said, "Technically yes. But these are matters of mutual agreement. We have indicated that India is okay with these flights, but for that to happen, Pakistan also has to open its airspace for airlines of other countries including India to overfly." Pakistan, 

9.   Post elections: June, 1, 2019: The BJP was rewarded for adopting a muscular, nationalist posture in its election campaign. But avoiding diplomacy and other engagement, especially with a neighbor like Pakistan, is not in India’s interest. It cannot hope to achieve its economic ambitions if it still has a festering conflict with Pakistan. That’s why Modi, with a huge mandate from his reelection, should pursue informal back channel talks with Pakistan, aiming to secure some guarantees from Islamabad about border issues and other tensions, before hopefully moving on to more formal talks. Modi treated Pakistan as an enemy to get reelected; now he must quietly try and find a way to improve ties.

India Pakistan Relations: April, 2019  

Introduction

The apparently frozen India Pakistan relations are evolving. Pakistan Army /government have made various statements to the effect that they would like to normalize these relations. The Army seeks normalization to result in stop to unconstrained Indian firing over the Line of Control.. Better than words, actions by the Army and government have very clearly exhibited the keen desire of Pakistan to achieve normal relations with India. India has expressed no desire for sub normalization, but there are undercurrents that suggest otherwise. There is also this inference that I draw for Pakistan Army actions and statements that they The Pakistan Army is engaged in Track two diplomacy, with India, on Kashmir and normalization of relations.

1.        Talks with India: Apr., 4, 2019: Islamabad has urged Washington to play a greater role in resumption of dialogue process with New Delhi, even as the Indian army increases ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC)  He also urged the US to play its role for resumption of dialogue between Pakistan and India to find solutions to all outstanding disputes 

2.      India releases Pakistani prisoners: Apr., 2019: India released two Pakistani prisoners from their jail on Thursday, while Pakistan also committed to release at least 300 Indian fishermen from its jails this month. India’s Border Security Force (BSF) handed over the two Pakistani citizens— Mohammad Shafiq and Mohammad Hanif— to Wagah border officials today. Both the men had served their sentence and the Pakistani high commissioner played a pivotal role in securing their release.  According to details Shafiq was a resident of Bahwalnagar while Hanif hailed from Karachi. Diplomatic sources said that Pakistan will release Indian fishermen in two phases starting with 100 men on April 7, followed by the remaining 200 in the next few days. Pakistan and India exchange a list of prisoners every year on January 1, as per a mutual decision was taken on May 21; 2008.According to the list this year, various jails in India had 347 Pakistani prisoners while Pakistan had 537 Indian prisoners in jail. It is pertinent to note that Pakistan released 102 prisoners in February this year as well.

3.      Release of Indian prisoners: Apr., 6, 2019: Pakistan will be releasing 360 Indian prisoners over the month of April, a process which will be carried out in four phases. Providing details regarding the release, the spokesperson said that currently there are 347 Pakistani prisoners in India and 537 Indian prisoners in Pakistan. Pakistan shall be releasing 360 Indian prisoners, of which 355 are fishermen and 5 are civilians. According to Dr Faisal, in the first phase on April 8, 100 prisoners shall be released. In the second phase on April 5, another 100 shall be released. In the third phase on April 22, yet another 100 shall be released. In the fourth and last phase on April 29, the remaining 60 prisoners shall be released.

4.      Fishermen released: Apr., 8, 2019: Pakistan on Sunday released 100 imprisoned Indian fishermen as part of a goodwill gesture that would see the phase-wise release of 260 more Indian nationals in the month of April .The fishermen were arrested over previous years for trespassing into Pakistani waters and violating international maritime limits. The released prisoners were taken to the Karachi Cantonment Railway Station under tight security, where they boarded the Allama Iqbal Express for Lahore. “The prisoners will be released in four batches, scheduled as 100 each on April 8, April 15 and April 29 while 60 prisoners, including 55 fishermen and five civilians, will be freed on April 29,” 

5.      Khalistan: Apr., 15, 2019: SFJ legal adviser Gurpatwant Singh Pannun claimed that authorities in Pakistan had stopped the group's activists from putting up posters and banners of the Khalistan referendum campaign at Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassan Abdal at the behest of the Narendra Modi government

6.      Karturpur: Apr., 17, 2019: India has offered to construct a 100km-long bridge from Dera Baba Nanak, an Indian town, to the Pakistan-India border to facilitate Sikh pilgrims travelling to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur .Pakistani and Indian experts met at the border on Tuesday for the second round of technical talks on the Kartarpur Corridor. The Pakistani delegation comprised representatives of the foreign ministry and senior officers of the Frontier Works Organisation. According to diplomatic sources, India made the offer because travellers faced difficulties during the monsoon season. Fifty per cent of the four-kilometre stretch of the corridor being built by Pakistan has been completed while the stretch between Zero Line to Baba Nanak’s shrine is being built by India. India is building a passenger terminal at Zero Line at an estimated cost of Rs1.9 billion.  

7.       

India Pakistan Relations: March, 2019  

Introduction

The apparently frozen India Pakistan relations are evolving. Pakistan Army /government have made various statements to the effect that they would like to normalize these relations. The Army seeks normalization to result in stop to unconstrained Indian firing over the Line of Control.. Better than words, actions by the Army and government have very clearly exhibited the keen desire of Pakistan to achieve normal relations with India. India has expressed no desire for sub normalization, but there are undercurrents that suggest otherwise. There is also this inference that I draw for Pakistan Army actions and statements that they The Pakistan Army is engaged in Track two diplomacy, with India, on Kashmir and normalization of relations.

1.      Banned Organizations: Mar., 5, 2019: Pakistan   has taken a firm decision that there would be a stern action against all militant groups. This is in accordance with the political consensus contained in the National Action Plan (NAP). The National Security Committee had in its Feb 21 meeting `decided to accelerate action against proscribed organizations’ and ordered re-imposition of ban on JuD and FIF. 

2.      Barter trade resumes; Mar.,6,2019: India and Pakistan resumed barter trade at a border crossing in Kashmir on Tuesday Trade across the border, known as the Line of Control (LoC), was part-suspended after repeated mortar and small arms fire at Uri, a border town where the exchange of goods takes place. But on Tuesday the route re-opened after firing in the region eased Thirty-five trucks left for Chakothi on the Pakistani side of the border with a similar number moving in the opposite direction. Trade across the LoC operates on a barter system, where no money is exchanged.  .“I send cumin and chilli seeds to Pakistan and in return order prayer mats and cloth,” he said. “If there is any difference, it is adjusted in the next consignment. It is all trust-based trade but it is working.”Indian traders export cumin, chilli pepper, cloth, cardamom, bananas, pomegranate, grapes and almonds. Prayer mats, carpets, cloth, oranges, mangoes and herbs return from the Pakistani side.

3.      Signs of a Thaw: Mar., 6, 2019: In a first sign of de-escalation in tensions, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Sohail Mahmood, is returning to New Delhi while the talks on Kartarpur Corridor would also go ahead as planned. Pakistani delegation would visit New Delhi on March 14 as planned for talks to finalise the modalities for the Kartarpur Corridor. Indian team would then pay a return visit to Islamabad on March 28. Another significant move taken by Pakistan was to inform the Indian side of its commitment of “continued weekly contact at the military operations directorates’ level.” The Pakistan and Indian militaries have a hotline through which the military operations directorates of the two neighbours interact with each other on a weekly basis.Pakistan told reporters that 44 suspects were taken into custody. Among those who were detained include Hammad Azhar, the son of Maulana Masood Azhar and Mufti Abdur Rauf, the brother of head of banned Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM).These two individuals were also named in the dossier India had recently shared with Pakistan regarding the Pulwama attack.

4.      Banned organizations: Mar., 6, 2019: Pakistan's Interior Ministry says authorities have arrested dozens of suspects, including the brother of the leader of the outlawed Jaish-e-Mohammad group that India has blamed for the Feb. 14 suicide bombing in Indian Kashmir that killed 40 troops.  44 suspects were arrested, including prominent members of the outlawed militant group. Among those arrested was Mufti Abdul Rauf, the brother of the group's leader, Masood Azhar. The brother was among suspects listed in a file on the February bombing that India gave to Pakistan over the weekend. Kashmir is split between Pakistan and India and is claimed by both in its entirety. 

5.      Kartarpur Opening: Mar., 14, 2019: The meeting between Pakistan and India on the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor was very positive and both sides have agreed to work towards opening the corridor soon. An 18-member Foreign Office team, headed by Dr Faisal, went to India for talks on the details of the Kartarpur Corridor. Both sides held expert level discussions between technical experts on the alignment and other details of corridor, he said, adding that the next meeting would be on April 2 at the Wagah Border, in Pakistan. This meeting will be preceded by a technical expert meeting on March 19 at the “zero points”, meaning the site where the corridor will be made, to finalise the alignment.   The Indian delegation also insisted that the Kartarpur shrine be kept open throughout the year. and that access for at least 5,000 pilgrims on any day throughout the week be ensured  whilst Pakistan was  willing to let about 500 people by buses to visit in groups. India wanted access to Indians of all religion whilst Pakistan has allowed access to the Sikh community.

6.      Pakistan Day Greetings: Mar., 23, 2019:  Pakistan Prime Minister on Friday evening tweeted: “Received msg from PM Modi: ‘I extend my greetings & best wishes to the people of Pakistan on the National Day of Pakistan. It is time that ppl of Sub-continent work together for a democratic, peaceful, progressive & prosperous region, in an atmosphere free of terror and violence’.”

7.      Sharda Peeth: Mar., 26, 2019: The Pakistani government indicated on Monday it may be looking at opening up Sharda Peeth, an ancient Hindu temple in Pakoccupied Kashmir, for pilgrims from India. After Kartarpur, the Sharda Peeth corridor, if opened, would be the second such religious corridor to connect the two neighbouring countries.  Sharda Peeth is very important, particularly for Kashmiri Pandits, many of whom have been pressing for access to it for a few years now. The temple, situated in Sharda village in Neelam valley, lies in ruins, but has not been desecrated. It is next to the famed Sharda University, an ancient place of learning of Buddhism and Hinduism.

Update: February, 2019  

In spite of the Pulwara attack and strong rhetoric from both sides there does seem to be continued contacts between both countries. The sharing of data on run of river schemes by India seems to indicate that the slow gradual movement towards normalization is still 0n.

1.      Afghan Peace Process: Indian concern: Feb., 4, 2019: India to remain engaged with all factions including the Pashtuns. India believes any action or articulation of its position in haste can be counter-productive," said the source, adding that the situation was being monitored at the top level and that India remained engaged with regional partners like Iran and also Russia. India will soon for the first time also be discussing the developing situation with Beijing. India and China have been looking to work together in Afghanistan since the 2018 Modi-Xi summit in Wuhan but have not yet had discussions on recent developments

2.      Afghan Peace process: Feb., 5, 2019: India will soon for the first time also be discussing the developing situation with Beijing. India and China have been looking to work together in Afghanistan since the 2018 Modi-Xi summit in Wuhan but have not yet had discussions on recent developments. The source, however, ruled out security talks on Afghanistan under any new format and said these will be made a part of the now frequent bilateral exchanges. Like India, and despite its resolute backing of Pakistan, China is worried about likely instability in Afghanistan following US withdrawal. It remains particularly worried about the activities in western China of East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) which is said to have links with both al-Qaida and Taliban.

3.      Nowshera Temple: Feb.,9,2019:The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa education department has decided to shift a girls primary school being run inside a temple in Nowshera for the last 25 years to a nearby location, and to hand over the holy place to the local Hindu community.

4.      IWT: Feb., 18, 2019:   After fulfilling its commitment of getting its various hydropower projects at the Chenab basin inspected by Pakistani experts from Jan 28 to Feb 1, India has shared the design data of its three planned run-of-the-river hydropower schemes with Pakistan under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). A few days ago, the Indian authorities shared the data with its Pakistani counterparts about Balti Kalan, Kalaroos and Tamasha hydropower projects which are planned to be constructed at Balti Kalan Nullah and Kalaroos Nullah at the Jhelum basin and Tamasha, a sub-tributary of the Indus river, respectively The data the Indian authorities had shared was based on the information regarding design such as kind of project, capacity, use of water, power house, turbines, spillways etc, 

5.      JeM: Feb., 23, 2019: The interior ministry on Friday announced that the Punjab government has taken administrative control of a mosque-and-seminary complex (Madressatul Sabir and Jama-e-Masjid Subhanallah) in Bahawalpur that is believed to have been the headquarters of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).The campus has a 70-strong faculty and more than 650 students enrolled.  A subsequent statement issued by the interior ministry's spokesperson explained that although Indian media outlets are linking the Bahawalpur complex to a JeM training centre, the facility is "purely a madressah and Jamia Masjid (central mosque) where scores of orphans and students from underprivileged families are receiving religious and worldly education". According to the statement, the complex provides worldly education until grade 6, and following their secondary and intermediate schooling, students are provided bachelors- and masters-level education leading to Dars-e-Nizami (madressah degree).A large number of Bahawalpur residents bear the expenses of the madressah through alms and charity, and provide its pupils with rice and grain at no cost."The Special Branch [of police], Counter-Terrorism Department and other departments carry out a formal scrutiny of this and other madressahs on a monthly basis," the ministry's handout stated.

6.      DG ISPR: Feb., 23, 2019: Maj Gen Ghafoor said he had given "some friends visiting from India a few months ago a message from the army chief" that countries cannot develop alone. "Regions develop. If we also believe that we must develop as a region, we will not go down the path of war.""We expect that you will focus responsibly on Pakistan's offer of peace and won't become a hurdle in the way of regional peace and stability," he told Delhi. The army's spokesman said that Pakistan in the 21st century was looking towards tackling issues such as education, health, and upholding the right of its citizens and future generations to live in peace ─ "not a war that you are trying to set the stage for", he admonished India."Don't snatch this right away from your future generations with your foolishness. Your attitude is not in line with humanity."

7.      Back Door contacts: Feb., 24, 2019: The government has begun backdoor contacts with India and the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, who is currently in India, has met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Vankwani also met Minster of State for External Affairs General VK Singh, the four-star general who has also served as the Indian army chief. Feb., 25, 2019: Talking to the media, Dr Kumar said important meetings were held with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and other high-officials. “You will very soon witness a positive impact of my meetings… You will also see that decades’ long issues are being resolved in a proper manner,” he said. Dr Kumar said: “I talked to Modi on every issue from every perspective… but I cannot reveal the details now. I will have key meetings with the country’s leadership in the coming days”.

8.      Pulwama Dossier: Feb., 28, 2019: Pakistan received a dossier on the Pulwama attack, the Foreign Office confirmed on Thursday. It was handed over to Pakistan’s acting high commissioner in New Delhi by the Indian government on Wednesday. The dossier will be reviewed by the FO following which any and all legal evidence will be probed. Islamabad will take action against credible evidence provided by the arch-rival.

9.      Indian pilot: Feb., 28, 2019: Prime Minister of Pakistan announced on Thursday that his country would be releasing a captured pilot from India after days of military conflict, offering a way out of the crisis and seeking to position Pakistan as the cooler head in a confrontation that has put the world on edge.

10.   Pilot returned: Mar, 2, 2108: Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan,  who was captured by Pakistan after his MiG 21 Bison aircraft was shot down by a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) jet, was handed over in a gesture of peace to India at the Wagah border late Friday. Abhinandan was arrested on Feb 27 after his aircraft was shot down by the PAF upon violating Pakistani airspace. A new videotaped statement of Wg Cdr Abhinandan was broadcast on national television shortly before his release."My name is Wing Commander Abhinandan," he stated for the record in the statement."I am a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force. I was in search of the target when your [Pakistan] Air Force shot me down. I had to eject the plane which had sustained damage. As soon as I ejected and when my parachute opened and when I fell down, I had a pistol with me.""There were many people. I had only one way to save myself: I dropped my pistol and tried to run," he was heard saying in the video."People chased me, their emotions were running high. Just then, two Pakistani Army officials came and saved me. Pakistani army captains saved from the people and did not let any harm come to me. They took me to their unit where I was administered first aid and then I was taken to the hospital where I further underwent a medical exam and received more aid," he said."The Pakistan Army is a very professional service. I see peace in it. I have spent time with the Pakistan Army [and] I am very impressed." "Indian media always stretches the truth," he regretted. "The smallest of things are presented in a very incendiary manner and people get misled

11.   

Update: January, 2019  

1.      Prisoners: Jan., 2, 2109: In a peace overture, India has asked Islamabad to take back dozens of Pakistani nationals who have completed jail terms here. The Indian request came in the context of the exchange of the lists of prisoners in both countries that took place on the first day of the New Year. India has also asked Pakistan to expedite response in the cases of 80 Pakistan prisoners who have completed their sentences and await repatriation for want of nationality confirmation by Pakistan. Pakistan shared lists of 54 civilian prisoners and 483 fishermen in Pakistani jails, who it claims are Indian. . Peace activist Jatin Desai of Pakistan-India Peoples’s Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD reiterated that both countries in fact claim that the exact number of prisoners in each other’s custody is “a bit higher” than the official numbers shared

2.      Jan., 4, 2109: the Washington Post recently said that talks between the sullen neighbors could resume after the Indian elections in May 2019. But the opportunity to improve bilateral ties, which in turn would usher a better era of regional engagement is bound to come with or without Modi sooner than later. Pakistan’s recent declaration that India’s involvement was needed to resolve the Afghan question comes as a new paradigm to ponder for all concerned, particularly those that have a bigger stake in a peaceful resolution of the blood-drenched conflict. The Kashmir imbroglio may not be a distant dream, and speculation is rife about reviving the Dr Manmohan Singh-General Musharraf ‘formula’ to end the tragic stalemate in the valley. Prime Minister Khan has made several overtures in tandem with the military to improve ties with India, and the alacrity with which he moved on the Kartarpur corridor to ease visa-less travel for Sikh pilgrims appears to have taken Delhi by surprise. The corridor is critical now for both sides as Sikhism’s first Guru is believed to have lived for the last 18 years of his life at the site where the Kartarpur gurdwara was built. The most important gesture that came from the Pakistan leader in his efforts to mend ties with India has been his reference to the Mumbai nightmare of November 2008 as an act of terrorism, which he said needs to be fully investigated in Pakistan for the country’s own good.

3.      Jan.,4,2019:Ancient Hindu Temple: The ancient Hindu temple Punj Tiratht, located in Karimpura in Peshawar's old city has been declared, constructed about 300 years ago as national asset, it is claimed that the hero of Mahabharata, Pandu, belonged to this place and there were five ponds at this place.

4.        Kurile Dispute and its relevance to Kashmir: The Second World War left behind many problems inherited from history, not least in Asia in respect of multiple disputed territories. One of them concerns four islands in the Kurile chain that are claimed by Japan but occupied by Russia as successor state of the Soviet Union. Despite the passage of over 70 years, this dispute has defied solution and prevented the conclusion of a Russo-Japanese peace treaty to draw a final curtain over the detritus of the war. The Kuriles are an archipelago of some 56 islands spanning about 1,800 km from Japan’s Hokkaido to Russia’s Kamchatka. All of them are under Russian jurisdiction but Japan claims the two large southernmost islands, Etorofu and Kunashiri, and two others, Shikotan and Habomai, as its ‘northern territories’. These islands were occupied by the Soviet Union in August 1945, after which the entire Japanese population, numbering less than 20,000, was evicted. The islands are now populated by the various ethnic groups of the former Soviet Union, but only eight of them are actually inhabited. Mr. Abe’s wish to engage with Russia stems from the rapid rise of China, which spends three times more on defence than Japan, and the perceived threat from North Korea, which recently fired two ballistic missiles over Japan as a taunt to the U.S. Russia is now seen in Japan as the lesser enemy, and improving relations with Moscow might drive a wedge in the growing quasi-alliance between Russia and China, a break-up desired by the U.S.-led Western alliance. Tokyo notes that the Russian far east is endowed with plentiful natural resources which are in need of investments, but is hampered by a small population, whereas China has 100 million citizens along that shared land border. Japan has no territorial or demographic ambitions in Russia other than the Kuriles, and has the capacity to transform the vast contiguous areas of Russia. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that both Japan and Russia see merit in pursuing greater collaboration  At Vladivostok last September, Mr. Abe declared that Japan-Russia relations held “unlimited potential” and that the absence of a peace treaty was “an abnormal state of affairs”. Mr. Putin agreed, noting that the Russian and Japanese militaries had cooperated for the first time, and urged the immediate conclusion of a peace treaty without preconditions. Japan demurred on the grounds that the Kurile islands dispute had to be settled first before the issue was foreclosed. Nonetheless, Mr. Abe stated that “Japan-Russia relations are advancing at a degree never seen before.” The interactions between Japan and Russia probably hold scant interest for the Indian public. Nevertheless, although no two international problems are analogous, there are important lessons to be drawn from the manner in which traditionally hostile neighbours can identify common interests and explore unorthodox avenues along which to proceed in search of innovative solutions to apparently insoluble disputes. This requires strong leadership and a bold imagination. Neither India nor Pakistan lacks either attribute. Kashmir is essentially a territorial dispute of almost equal vintage as the Kuriles. But if both sides keep waiting for the most propitious time to make the first move, it will never come about.

5.      Indian Policy (Extract from Hindu),Jan.,7,2019:It’s rightly being pointed out that India has to be prepared for the potential consequences of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from  While New Delhi is weighing its options it must take into account that for all its antipathy toward the Afghan Taliban. The resurgent Taliban is driven not so much by Islam as the quest for Pashtun dignity and revenge. While it is not in a position to rule over the entire country, and certainly not the urban areas, it does control large swathes of the rural areas in the predominantly Pashtun provinces of eastern and southeastern Afghanistan. In other words, it is in a position to make the country ungovernable and indefinitely continue the civil war especially because of its control of the drug trade that finances its activities. The withdrawal of American forces will provide it greater opportunity to expand its area of operation. It will take a great deal of creative thinking and imaginative refashioning of New Delhi’s policy towards Afghanistan for India to recover lost ground vis-à-vis the Pashtuns. Depending on the U.S., it on the verge of cutting its losses in Afghanistan, or on other powers such as Russia and Iran to protect Indian interests in that country will be foolhardy and counter-productive.

6.      US Afghan Withdrawal: Jan.,,2019:The story of past many years of Indo-Pak relations is a story of how a regional hegemon ‘pushed back’ a smaller neighbouring country by arming its rivals and enemies on the western front, by executing military build-ups on its eastern borders and threatening and setting red lines to execute surgical strikes or initiate limited wars. The carrot of economic participation that it offered to the rest of the world — whether it was the access to its markets or investment in giant sports leagues like Indian Premier League was all at the cost of all of them making a choice — of not looking at Pakistan as a country that was suffering and was being victimised but as a country that ‘harboured terrorist’ and provided them safe havens and exported terrorism internationally. The rest of the world looked at India as a huge vehicle that provided them with indisputable opportunities for making wealth. If Afghanistan descends into a forecasted political upheaval during or beyond the Afghan elections (May 2019), the repercussions for the Indian interests in Afghanistan would be severely damaging. Alliances are ‘power-multipliers’ and while India has benefited from its new found alliance with the Americans in the last decade or so — Pakistan lost its opportunities in the past, but now it is gradually repositioning itself to fight against the Indian-induced regional and international isolation by showcasing its ‘deployable power’ of an efficient and operationally trained force to fight the common enemy of terrorism. Russia, China, Iran and the Central Asian States all respect and admire Pakistan’s anti-terrorism fighting capabilities.The first and the most important step for the Modi government should be a change of mindset. Its anti-Pakistan narrative has miserably flopped. There are multiple actors that have their changing interests that are competing for influence in the region and this region has dynamics of its own, the nature of which also keeps changing. India has tried its best to weaken Pakistan and exploit its vulnerabilities but the world is a witness of the resilience and perseverance of the Pakistani nation that despite its problems it has continued to fight and adapt and respond to all the Indian challenges that it has so far thrown at it. With most of the Indian premises about Pakistan going wrong it is still not late for the Indians to understand that if ‘Pakistan stagnates or is troubled, India will also not remain immune’. It is for India to decide whether to entrench against or engage with Pakistan. For India, living with Pakistan as a friendly neighbor that engages in dialogue to reach political ends rather than bullying with threats of surgical strikes should be the right strategic option. Simply put, for PM Modi to continue to seek and to push Pakistan to a corner and proudly boast that “India has been able to isolate Pakistan internationally” is an Indian policy that in coming days will no more be sustainable. India tried a full-scale ‘policy of isolation’ against Pakistan — this policy of isolation and non-engagement only increased unprecedented risks and uncertainty in the relations between the two countries. The year 2019 may finally prove to be the deathbed of flawed built-up Indian premises, policies and narrative against Pakistan. Through hardships, tests and trials what Pakistan has managed to do is ‘find its way’. In the coming days not Pakistan but it’s India that would be under the ‘world’s spotlight’ to ‘mend its way’ in Kashmir. Even PM Modi and the whole India knows it.

7.      Jatin Desai: Jan.,8,2018:Indian journalist, activist and former president of the Mumbai Press Club Jatin Desai stressed restoration of talks between India and Pakistan, lamenting the suspension of bilateral talks between the countries since 2016.`It is extremely unfortunate that there has been a complete silence on both sides, resulting in the suffering of the peoples. Just keeping the communication alive changes everything,` he said and added that its right time in India for holding talks as it can bring about change in the atmosphere. Mr Desai had worked hard for the release of Indian national Hamid Nehal Ansari who went back home from Pakistan last month. On Ansari`s release, Desai had accompanied his family to the Wagah border to receive him. `The Katarpur corridor is a great development even though the traffic is expected to be more one-sided. Such developments should happen all over Pakistan and India beyond Punjab for there are people all in both countries who want to visit each other`. Desai demanded both the countries to send journalists on exchange programs.

8.      Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Jan., 8, 2019:  on Monday said the Kashmir dispute between the nuclear armed neighbors   could not be solved only from a military standpoint, and that popular support was also important. Solberg said, “If there is an interest from the partners, we will try to use the mechanisms that we know. We have been working quite a lot in different countries but we always have this one basic thinking. The partners need to want to sit down by the table and discuss. Then of course if there is a need for a mediator, a need for a facilitator to fix, even though these are two very big countries that should manage to sort out things between themselves.”

9.      Jan., 9.2019: General Rawat: said Pakistan, was rightly aiming for a favorable situation in Afghanistan, a neighbor with which it shares an over 2,400-km border.“Pakistan has always treated Afghanistan as its backyard. They are concerned about it and, as a military leader, I would say why not be concerned about their backyard,” he added. “They always want a situation in Afghanistan which is favorable to them. So, even if it implies speaking to the devil, they will do it.”. There should be talks with Taliban so long as they don’t come with pre-conditions and so long as they are looking at lasting peace in Afghanistan and bring about stability in that country,” he said.“It is in our interest, region’s interest, and in Pakistan’s interest. We all want stability,” he added

10.   Indus Water Treaty: Jan.,12,2019:In what is dubbed a ‘major breakthrough’, New Delhi has finally accepted Islamabad’s demand for inspection of Indian hydropower projects on Chenab basin and a Pakistani team will start a visit to these sites from January 27. Pakistan had demanded that India allow it to inspect various hydroelectric projects, particularly 1,000MW Pakal Dul and 48MW Lower Kalnai projects on the River Chenab. Pakistan had raised serious concerns over the designs Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai projects and argued that India could use these reservoirs to create artificial water shortage or flooding in Pakistan. According to Islamabad, these projects have been designed in violation of the IWT. It appreciated the gesture by India for implementation of the IWT and expected that the same spirit would be shown for resolution of other outstanding issues according to the provisions of the treaty.

11.   Jan., 20.2019: There may not be a substantive dialogue n-between the two countries but both are trying to keep diplomatic relations at an healthy level. This  past week saw Indian high commissioner to Pakistan  and Pakistani counterparts having meeting with foreign ministry officials. Both meeting e relate to prisoner exchanges and Kartarpur opening .Indian government has proposed to revive Joint Judicial Committee and has requested that Pakistan allow Indian official assess to Indian prisoners.

12.   Jan., 22, 2019; Kartarpur :Pakistan has invited India for talks to finalize the agreement on Kartarpur Corridor opening. While extending the invitation for early talks, Islamabad on Monday also shared the draft agreement between the two countries to operationalize the Karatarpur Corridor. The government of Pakistan appointed Director-General (South Asia & SAARC) Dr Muhammad Faisal as the focal person on Pakistan’s side and requested the Government of India designate a focal person at its end.

13.  Indus Water Treaty: Jan., 28, 2019: A Pakistani delegation arrived in India on January 27 to visit the Chenab river basin in Jammu and Kashmir for inspection, as mandated under the Indus Water Treaty .Pakistan’s Indus Commissioner Syed Mohammad Mehar Ali Shah arrived in Amritsar along with his two advisers .This tour is an obligation imposed on both the countries by the Indus Waters Treaty 1960 between India and Pakistan. Under the treaty, both the commissioners are mandated to inspect sites and works on both the sides of Indus basin in a block of five years

14.  Kartarpur Crossing: Jan., 31, 2019: Up to 40 per cent of construction work on the phased Kartarpur Corridor Project has been completed and with the launch of the corridor in nine months.  Under the project, construction of roads from the Gurdwara Baba Guru Nanak to Indo-Pak border, an immigration terminal and extension of the temple has been completed by 40 percent

15.   

India Pakistan Relations: December 2018

Introduction

The apparently frozen India Pakistan relations are evolving. Pakistan Army /government have made various statements to the effect that they would like to normalize these relations. The Army seeks normalization to result in stop to unconstrained Indian firing over the Line of Control.. Better than words, actions by the Army and government have very clearly exhibited the keen desire of Pakistan to achieve normal relations with India. India has expressed no desire for sub normalization, but there are undercurrents that suggest otherwise. There is also this inference that I draw for Pakistan Army actions and statements that they The Pakistan Army is engaged in Track two diplomacy, with India, on Kashmir and normalization of relations.

Update December 2018

1.     Kartarpur corridor  is a proposed border corridor between the neighboring nations of India and Pakistan, connecting the Sikh shrines of Dera Baba Nanak Sahib (located in Punjab, India) and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur (in Punjab, Pakistan). Currently under planning, the corridor is intended to allow religious devotees from India to visit the Gurdwara in Kartarpur, 4.7 kilometers   from the Pakistan-India border, without a visa In August 2018, Punjab tourism minister Navjot Singh Sidhu attended the Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan's inaugural ceremony, and he was told by the army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa of Pakistan's willingness to open the Dera Baba Nanak–Kartarpur corridor on Guru Nanak’s 550^th birth anniversary. Given the clear time frame, this set the ball rolling In August 2018, another resolution related to the corridor in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha was moved by chief minister Amarinder Singh, which was passed unanimously. Following this the government of Punjab decided to approach the prime minister of India related to the opening of the corridor. In 30 October 2018, a group of Sikh Americans sought the Prime Minister of India's for help in opening the corridor. In November 2018, the Indian Cabinet approved the plan to set up the corridor and appealed to Pakistan to do the same. The Pakistani foreign minister S. M. Qureshi responded by tweeting that Pakistan had "already conveyed to India" that it would open a corridor. A ground breaking ceremony was held ar Kartarpur which has resulted in infrastructure being developed d of the opening. Pakistan Army has also expressed the possibility of such opening in three more Sikh sites in Pakistan, this provided the relations develop.

2.      Release of Indian spy: Pakistan has   released Indian spy Hamid Nehal Ansari upon completion of his prison term, Foreign Office spokesman has confirmed. Indian spy Hamid Ansari had illegally entered Pakistan and was involved in anti-state crimes and forging documents .Dr Faisal said Hamid Ansari is being released upon completion of his sentence and is being repatriated to India.

3.       Return of Indian young man: The Pakistani authorities on Wednesday handed over an Indian youth, who had mistakenly crossed the border a few months ago. According to media reports, Pakistan Rangers returned Santoshi Deochand, 21, to the Indian Border Security Force (BSF), along with sweets, clothes and shoes as a goodwill gesture. Deochand, who hails from Madhopur area of Indian Bihar state, had mistakenly crossed Pak-India border near Kheem Karan few months ago.

4.   Norway’s Ex-PM Visit Kashmir: to clear Decks for Manmohan-Musharraf Formula with Govt’s Blessing. Former R&AW chief and Kashmir advisor to former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, AS Dulat, said that the fact that Bondevik could travel all the way to Srinagar and meet Geelani meant that New Delhi was also on board. Also known as the Musharraf formula or the Manmohan-Musharraf formula or Chenab solution, the four-point formula is basically an idea of demilitarization, maximum autonomy, making border irrelevant and joint management of the region.  Refer to https://javedrashid.blogspot.com/2018/08/chenab-formula-musharrafs-four-point.html for more details of the Chenab formula  

5.      Indian prisoners: Pakistan released 1,795 Indian prisoners during the past four years, whereas India released only 328 Pakistani prisoners, a new report has revealed. Even at this time, there are hundreds of Pakistanis languishing in Indian jails, several of whom have completed their sentence. Since January 2015, Pakistan released 1,176 fishermen and 19 civilians. On the other hand, India released 193 fishermen and 135 civilians.

6.      Imran Warsi : Dec., 23,2018. For more than a decade, Imran Warsi has lived in limbo, without a sense of home or nationality. Next week, he will regain both, as police officials confirmed that he will be repatriated across the Wagah border to Pakistan and will be reunited with his parents in Karachi. A Pakistani from Karachi, Mr. Warsi married his cousin in Kolkata in 2004 after falling in love. When his visa ran out, her parents promised to help the couple get papers to travel to Pakistan, but didn’t

7.      AJ&K to open route to Hindu and Sikh sites, Dec., 23, 2018: Azad Jammu Kashmir government wants to open the religious sites for Sikhs, Hindus and Buddhists following Pakistan government’s decision to open the Kartarpur Corridor for Sikh pilgrims. The AJK PM has forwarded a proposal to the government of Pakistan for approval. “We have more than 600 sites of Hindu, Sikh and Budh religions, including Sharda and Ali Baig in AJK,” the AJK premier said. “We are planning to renovate, recondition and open these places for followers from Indian-administered Kashmir.” 

8.      Kartarpur: Dec., 31, 2018: Pakistan has sent a 14 point draft documents related to the modalities of the Kartarpur corridor. 50 people per day will be allowed after security clearance by both parties.