January 2, 2014

India & Pakistan’s DGMOs meet at Wagah-Attari border



Director Generals Military Operations (DGMO) of India and Pakistan took place on 24 December 2013 along the Wagah-Attari border. The meeting was held to work out a mechanism to ease tension between the two sides and to ensure peace at the Line of Control (LoC).
Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia led the Indian side, whereas, Major General Aamer Riaz headed the Pakistani side. A brigadier and three lieutenant colonels also participated in the talks from both each side.
The DGMO-level talks of the two nations have been held after 14 years. Last time the key army commaders of India and Pakistan met in July 1999 after the Kargil war.
The decision of holding the meet between India and Pakistan DGMOs was taken at political level.  The DGMOs of the two country discussed major issues that pertains to tension on the LoC. They also discussed issues on the working boundary with a focus to maintain ceasefire and bring normalcy. The two sides met, three months before the proposed meeting of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to defuse tensions. Initially Pakistan proposed to include the Foreign Ministry officials in the meet of the military officers, which was rejected by India.
In 1949, United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) was established. It was established under the resolution passed by the world body’s council to supervise ceasefire along the LoC.