Was mutiliation of soldiers' bodies a Pak army retaliation to Jindal-Sharif talks?

Such incidents are however not new. Sharif was in the cross-chairs of the army's ire even when the Lahore Declaration was signed.

When India and Pakistan speak business, it is normally followed by a dastardly attack which derails peace. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Pakistan as part of a surprise visit, a week later the Pakistan Army and ISI carried out the Pathankot attack through its proxy, the Jaish-e-Mohammad.

Now if one looks at the incident in which the bodies of two Indian soldiers were mutilated, it appears as though the incident took place less than a week since the meeting between Pakistan Prime Minister and Indian businessman Sajjan Jindal. The meeting which was unannounced took place at the hill resort town of Muree.

The Pakistan media has been reporting extensively about a rift between the civilian government and the military for long. The military in Pakistan has never been happy about the soft line that Sharif usually tows towards India.

Talk money with Sharif:

The advise in India is that when it comes to Sharif, the best way to deal with him is speak business. A businessman himself, Sharif always welcomes any move to improve bi-lateral trades. However the military sees this as a soft approach.

Just when Sharif takes baby steps to cozy up to India on the trade front, the military comes into the picture to derail the same. The Pathankot attack was a classic example of the same. Today the same could be said as the Pakistan army successfully another attempt at trade talks following the Sharif-Jindal meeting.

Observers believe that the sudden escalation may have been a result of the meeting between Sharif and Jindal. After the Pathankot attack and the surgical strikes coupled with the Kashmir problem, the communication lines have remained shut between India and Pakistan. The meeting with Jindal was seen as an opening of that line and the Pakistan army was clearly unhappy about it.

Such incidents are however not new. Sharif was in the cross-chairs of the army's ire even when the Lahore Declaration was signed. The Lahore Declaration which was signed during the visit by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was followed by the 1999 Kargil war.

Jindal's visit had a meaning to it:

The visit by Jindal had a larger meaning. Both sides realise the importance of talking with each other. It was in fact a back-channel contact to better ties between the two countries which has fallen to an all-time low.

Both sides decided to show maturity and engage in talks. The only way to speak with Sharif was to talk business and Jindal was that mascot. Both sides had decided that unless they speak with each other the problem would be a never-ending one.

However the Pakistan army at the end of it did what it always did. Be it the Pathankot attack, Kargil war or the mutilation of the soldiers' bodies, the Pakistan army has successfully managed to derail a small attempt made by the two civilian governments to speak sense and better the situation.

OneIndia News