By Our Correspondent NEW DELHI: In what was described as a mischievous move designed to infringe up on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan, Indian government asked for “the right of hot pursuit” into the Pakistani territory instead of the joint patrolling agreed to earlier.
A news report by Kuldip Nayar said, “India police asked the right of hot pursuit into the Pakistani territory should be allowed for effectively combating the militants.” The idea of hot pursuit was there in the original proposal of joint patrolling of the border. What had however been agreed to is parallel patrolling so as to stop border crossing.
New Delhi thinks that joint patrolling may create problems of command, But it is not quite what the home secretaries of the two countries have agreed to if the Pakistan accepts the Indian patrols right to pursue intruders into Pakistani territory. New Delhi is prepared to give reciprocal right to Islamabad according to Nayer.
Otherwise India argues change of Pakistan giving shelter to militants cannot be fully met. The proposal is very much on the cards in the beginning of the year was dropped at the instance of Pakistan who said that it could result in a worst situation. If the initiative would be with the border patrol.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 30, 1989
