WASHINGTON: Terming the ceasefire between India and Pakistan in
Jammu and Kashmir as an important achievement, classified United States
documents released by Wikileaks revealed that Washington was keen on
‘preserving’ the truce by denouncing the violations carried out by
Pakistani troops.
In a 2005 cable to US State Department under
the heading ‘preserving the LoC ceasefire’, then Ambassador to India
David C Mulford urged the Bush administration to issue a statement to
support the truce announced by New Delhi and Islamabad on November 24,
2003.
"We urge the department to issue a firm statement
supporting the ceasefire; reiterating our unequivocal opposition to
cross-border terrorist infiltration; condemning the recent shelling and
reaffirming our support for the composite dialogue process," Mulford
said in the cable sent in January 2005.
The cable is one of the 138,887 released by Wikileaks on August 30.
"The
LoC (Line of Control) ceasefire is one of the most important
achievements in the slow but steady Indo-Pak rapprochement process that
began in mid-2003 with former prime minister Vajpayee’s ‘Hand of
Friendship’ speech, but without US engagement that accomplishment could
soon founder," Mulford reported.
He appreciated the response of
New Delhi and Islamabad in the aftermath of the two ceasefire
violations in three days in January 2005 terming it as "measured" and
"serious".
"Despite shelling of the Indian side of the LoC
twice in three days (January 18 and 20), both governments have
responded in a measured and serious manner, conscious that the 14
months of silence along the LOC has come to symbolise the de-escalation
of the Indo-Pak conflict, while providing tens of thousands of
Kashmiris the longest respite from daily shelling since the 1999 Kargil
War," he added.
Mulford had expressed apprehensions that the
ceasefire violation could have negative effect on the composite
dialogue between India and Pakistan.
"The ceasefire... has
fuelled hopes for broader progress in military Confidence building
measures. These instances of shelling, if they do not stop, could spill
over into the composite dialogue and negatively affect the broad sense
of goodwill that exists in India for fixing relations with Pakistan,"
he said. Online
