'Proposal for civilian officials at DGMOs meet still on table'

Pakistan today said its proposal to include Foreign Ministry officials in a meeting of military officers to discuss ceasefire violations on the LoC was "still on the table" despite India's rejection of the move.
"It was our desire to include the two Foreign Offices in the meeting of the Directors General of Military Operations to make it broader based, but this stand is not acceptable to India," Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said.
"For the time being, this meeting will be between the DGMOs but our proposal is still on the table."
Asked at a weekly news briefing if the meeting of the DGMOs on December 24 was arranged through backdoor diplomacy, she said the senior officers had been speaking to each other.

"They have had telephone conversations. It was not back channel diplomacy but there was agreement between the two countries that we need to meet at this level to sort out the issues taking place on the LoC," Aslam said.
"Keeping that in mind, our DGMO invited his Indian counterpart and his invitation was accepted."

Replying to a query on whether the situation on the LoC was now under control, Aslam said, "Yes. The Line of Control is under control."
The DGMOs will meet next week after a gap of 14 years as part of measures aimed at scaling down tensions along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Prime Ministers of the two countries had decided in September that the DGMOs should meet to discuss the situation along the LoC but the meeting was scheduled only recently.
The DGMOs, who talk over a hotline almost every week, last met face to face after the Kargil conflict in 1999.
The military officers will meet on the Pakistani side of the Wagah border and discuss ways to strengthen the ceasefire on the LoC. India will be represented by Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia and the Pakistani side by Maj Gen Amir Riaz.