Indo-Pak Ties To Be Discussed In Nepal
An India-Pakistan interaction of former Army officers, strategicians, journalists and six former Pakistani ministers will take place in Kathmandu on June 12 and 13. They will discuss the Operation Parakram.
The conference, sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), the German think-tank affiliated to the Social Democratic Party, will see Indians and Pakistanis discuss for the first time, the military, political and economic impact of the largest ever troop deployment along the Indo-Pak border by the two countries.
Among those attending the meeting from Pakistan are former Governor of Sind province Gen Moinuddin Haider, former foreign secretaries Inamul Haque and Niaz Naik and several journalists.
From Indian side, former Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan G Parthsarthy, specialist in strategic affairs Raja Mohan, Arnab Goswami (journalist) among others would attend the meet.
How an all-out war was deterred, whether a limited war is possible between two nuclear powers and what the Operation Parakram cost both countries will be discussed at the seminar.
The Operation Parakram was launched after the December 13, 2001 attack on Parliament. Military strategists say India came close to war on at least three occasions in the intervening period which saw tensions rise so much in the sub-continent that virtually the entire world warned its citizens against travelling to India and Pakistan, causing great damage to both economies.
The issue of the presence of the US, which believes Pakistan is a