ISLAMABAD: There are good reasons to believe the contradictions issued by Indian Prime Minister’s Office and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations about the reported contact between Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Gen Kayani through a secret envoy. However, there is circumstantial evidence to suggest that both India and Pakistan had been broaching the idea of a dialogue between the militaries and intelligence agencies for some time now — the desire being more intense in Delhi.

Supplementing an earlier denial by Dr Singh’s office of the communication with Gen Kayani, ISPR on Monday strongly rejected ‘The Times’ newspaper report saying it was “unfounded and totally baseless”.

But, the story of India talking directly to Pakistan army, whom the Indian leadership believes to be in-charge of Pakistan’s India policy, does not end here. Analysts and diplomatic observers say they noted a hankering among Indian civilian and military leadership for establishing a back-channel with Pakistan Army and ISI with the objective of developing a better understanding of each other’s apprehensions and probably, by doing so, lending sustainability to the accident prone front-channel being pursued by the diplomatic services of the two arch-rivals.

Those privy to this thinking, however, suggest that Delhi’s power echelons are still engaged in intense debate over whether or not to talk directly to Pakistan military and ISI and everyone is shying away from crossing the proverbial Rubicon.If this channel was to materialise it would be in addition to contacts between the directors general of military operations (DGMOs) and the exchanges between Rangers.

Pakistan and India have a history of aborted diplomatic initiatives for overcoming the mutual mistrust that kept both deeply divided and the estranged neighbours recently embarked on a fresh initiative for mending ties.

The detractors of the concept of engagement with Pakistan army base their arguments on following the ethical practice of talking only to the civilian government of the day, whereas the proponents insist on recognising the ground realities.

Indian defence advisers at the High Commission in Islamabad are at the forefront of efforts for establishing this contact. One of them was at the Pakistan Military Academy Kakul last week for witnessing the passing out parade of cadets. Some see the presence as a routine matter, but the presence there of Indians, who are sometimes kept out of even regular Foreign Office briefings for diplomats, is an important signal.

The Indian defence advisers have, in the past, met ISI chief Gen Pasha. And no-one can particularly forget Gen Pasha unprecedentedly turning up at Indian High Commissioner’s Iftar reception.