NEW DELHI: A 16-member delegation of Pakistan Rangers arrived in New Delhi with an ‘open mind’ on Wednesday to work out a mechanism with India’s Border Security Force to reinstall a 2003 ceasefire in Kashmir and along the Working Boundary, diplomatic sources said.

They said the outcome of the three-day talks could set the temperature between the two sides when their prime ministers head to the UN General Assembly session later this month. Both sides appear to be in a combative mode but neither wants to be seen as the aggressor in the recent volatility along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary.

Other than the ceasefire, Rangers (Punjab) Director General Maj Gen Umar Farooq Barki and BSF Director-General Devendra Kumar Pathak are expected to cover all their usual topics including cross-border infiltrations.

“The Pakistan delegation is here with an open mind and a clean heart,” a Pakistani source said.

Pakistan’s delegation comprises officials from Pakistan Rangers (Punjab and Sindh), Ministry of Interior, Survey of Pakistan and the Anti-Narcotics Force.

A Rangers’ spokesman told DawnNews that the Rangers-BSF talks are held alternatively in India and Pakistan.

The spokesman said both border guarding forces would discuss professional matters in relation to border management.

In order to avoid losses of innocent civilian lives and property, the delegation will discuss issues pertaining to ceasefire violations, smuggling and the safe return of inadvertent border crossers, the spokesman said.

Independent observers rate this interaction highly significant against the backdrop of the recent heavy exchange of artillery fire.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2015

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