NEW DELHI, India: Indian and Pakistan officials reached an agreement to step up coordination of their border security forces to prevent Sikhs from using. Pakistan territory as a base for attacks in India.

The agreement, reached after two days of talks, was highly limited in scope, but it nonetheless ‘marked the first time in a year that the two nations had found common ground on any steps to reduce tensions.

Relations had seriously worsened in recent months as Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of India repeatedly charged that Pakistan was aiding Sikhs. A few weeks ago, he said that India could easily send its troops into Pakistan to wipe out supposed “training ‘camps” but that it had not done so because it would violate international law.

Pakistan denies that it has aided Sikh freedom fighters in their attacks in the northern Indian state of Punjab, which border on Pakistan, charging instead that India using it as a scapegoat.

Issue of Nuclear Arms

‘The other major irritant in relations is India’s rejection of Pakistani denials that it is making nuclear bomb, and this issue was not addressed in the latest talks,

All the charges and counter charges reached a peak last month when India held unusually large army maneuvers near the border. India described them as routine, ‘but the maneuvers raised alarm among Pakistanis despite efforts by Pakistan’s leaders to assure the people no attack was imminent.

The talks were conducted today ‘and Saturday in Lahore, Pakistan, by a team of diplomats and internal security officials, they issued a joint statement saying both sides recognize the need for evolving a common approach to resolve this problem”.

The accord also called for the two nations to share “operation information and intelligence” about drug trafficking and smuggling across the border. Such smuggling has been a problem for decades but has become acute in the last ‘year because of rising heroin shipments.

In the statement, Pakistan reiterated its insistence that it “does not and will not provide any support to violent activities directed against India”, India gave similar assurances in response to Islamabad’s recent charges that New Delhi had helped stir political unrest this year in southeast Pakistan.

Crossings and Violence Linked

Of greater significance, according to Indian officials, was a separate statement in which both sides said they “recognize that illegal crossings and violence have become closely interlinked with each other”,

This was seen here as  admission that illegal border crossings by Sikhs have contributed to the problem. A news conference, the Indian Home Secretary, C.G. Somiah, said here that Pakistan was “more receptive this time” than before to “all the evidence that we placed before them” about Sikhs.

India maintains that Sikhs captured by the police in Punjab have confessed to receiving sanctuary, ‘arms, money, encouragement and even training in Pakistan, Mr. Som said that such evidence had again been given to Pakistan and that “it was little difficult for them to refute”

Effort Authorized Last Month

He said he had told the Pakistanis that “it would help build up rest people crossing the border and return them to India. “The reaction was positive,” he said, adding that it remained to be seen how Pakistan would follow up onto he ‘agreement.

The progress made this weekend is likely to be tested further ‘when Indian and Pakistani foreign secretaries meet later this month.

All the meetings were part of a new push to improve relations authorized by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Prime Minister Khan Junejo of Pakistan at a conference of leaders of South Asian nations at Bangalore, India last month.

At that meeting, Mr. Gandhi was asked about denials by Pakistan that it was aiding Sikh freedom fighters. He said he remained to be convinced but agreed to set up the new negotiations.

Article extracted from this publication >> December 26, 1986