ISLAMABAD: The federal government has urged the international community to help defuse tensions with India, adding that targeting of civilians living along the Line of Control (LoC) could not be further tolerated.

This was stated by the Prime Minister’s Office after a meeting was held to review the situation at the LoC following Wednesday’s attack on a passenger bus that had left 10 people dead. Separately, three soldiers, including a captain, were killed in the Hot Spring Sector.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired the meeting and Adviser to the PM on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, ISI DG Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, Special Assistant to the PM on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi and National Security Adviser retired Lt Gen Nasser Khan Janjua were present.

The meeting was followed in the evening by a farewell dinner that PM Sharif hosted for the outgoing Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif to honour his four decades of military service, including the last three years as top commander.

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All three star generals in military service and a two star general, who serves as Gen Sharif’s staff officer, were invited.

PM Sharif paid tribute to the retiring army chief saying that Pakistan was “safer and stronger” today than in 2013 when Gen Sharif had assumed co mmand of the army.

“General Raheel Sharif always led from the front. … It was under his leadership that Pakistan’s armed forces had confronted not only external threats but also the menace of terrorism. We successfully established the writ of the state and reclaimed every inch of the territory under our sovereign control,” the prime minister said.

According to a participant, PM Sharif looked comfortable and relaxed as he saw off the outgoing general. Although he has worked with seven army chiefs in his three tenures, this is the first time PM Sharif will see off an army chief who has completed his tenure.

Among others, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and States and Frontier Regions Minister retired Lt Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch joined the reception.

Senate Defence Committee Chairman Mushahid Hussain also attended the dinner.

The participants at the dinner kept looking for hints as to who Gen Sharif’s successor could be, but could not find any substantive indication. The government is expected to announce the new army chief any time — probably over the weekend after the prime minister returns from his two-day visit to Turkmenistan.

There were, however, two observations; first, the order of departure of guests after the dinner. The next general to leave after Gen Sharif was Lt Gen Ishfaq Nadeem, who is said to be the favourite for the job. He was followed by Lt Gen Zubair Hayat, who is expected to become chairman joint chiefs of staff committee.

But the selection of pictures tweeted by the prime minister’s daughter Maryam Nawaz gave a different hint. She tweeted pictures of Lt Gen Hayat and Lt Gen Javed Iqbal Ramday shaking hands with the prime minister.

At the musical event that followed the dinner, Gen Sharif was probably reminded of the yearlong rumours about his extension as the selection played on that occasion included ‘Aaj jane ki zid na karo’.

LoC situation

The meeting that reviewed the situation after Wednesday’s attack on a bus by Indian forces noted that Pakistan had repeatedly protested the targeting of civilians, but India had ignored all protestations as its forces continued to target civilian populations. The statement issued by the PM’s Office says that the international community has largely been silent on the matter despite warnings from Pakistan that India may be headed towards a “strategic miscalculation”.

“The meeting urged the international community to take note of the intentional targeting of civilians and increasing number of civilian casualties. The meeting further called upon the international community to play an active role in defusing the deteriorating security situation along the LoC which has been deliberately escalated by the Indian side,” the statement says.

So far, 52 people — 40 civilians and 12 soldiers — have been killed due to Indian shelling along the LoC in the last few months. This is the highest number of casualties along the LoC since the two countries agreed to observe a ceasefire in 2003. Not only did the Indian forces use artillery along the LoC for the first time in 13 years, but even targeted an ambulance that was evacuating victims of shelling.

“The meeting deplored the belligerent targeting of the ambulance which was rescuing the affectees of the attack on the bus, as a blatant violation of international humanitarian law,” the statement said.

Speaking at the meeting PM Sharif said though Pakistan had exercised maximum restraint, it could no longer tolerate the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians, particularly children and women, ambulances and civilian transport.

“The Kashmir issue is an unfinished agenda of the Partition; we will never abandon our Kashmiri brethren in their freedom struggle,” the prime minister said.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2016