BetweenTheLines

Sameer Arshad Khatlani Follow  on Facebook A rare joint statement by the Indian and Pakistani directors general of military operations, on February 25, announcing that the two countries have agreed to strictly observe the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) triggered much speculation over what brought about the turnaround. Moeed Yusuf, special assistant on national security to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on national security, called the announcement a “victory of diplomacy” and added that “more avenues” will open in the future, amid reports that back-channel meetings at neutral locations led to the pact. ALSO READ: Sarkari Mussalmans And The Art of Keeping Heads Deeply Buried In The Sand Analysts linked the reiteration of the observance of the truce along the de facto border to the protracted stand-off between the Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh and New Delhi’s attempts to avoid a two-front conflict with two allied adversaries. Many won

Ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chose the Katas Raj temple complex in Punjab to warn hardliners against preaching animosity.  Sameer Arshad Khatlani I nvestigators in Pakistan have blamed a Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader for inciting the mob that burnt a Hindu shrine in the country's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province last month. They told Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday that 109 people have been arrested for the arson while 92 policemen have been suspended over “ cowardice and negligence ” they showed by their failure in protecting the shrine.  The focus in India so far has been on the Pakistani Supreme Court’s order that directed authorities reconstruct the century-old shrine and recover money from the arsonists. Hardly anyone has paid attention to the political affiliation of the alleged instigator.  JUI-F is no ordinary party. Its leader, Fazlur Rehman, is leading an 11-member coalition called Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) that has launched a campaign and org