By IANS,
Islamabad : Senior Pakistani and Indian military officers have made contact in a bid to defuse tensions in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks that almost sparked a sub-continental war, a media report here said Monday.
“The lingering tension between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai attacks seems to have proved short-lived as both the neighbours in a new development have re-established military-to-military contact,” The News said.
“Following weeks of threats and hard-hitting statements emanating from New Delhi, the Directors-General Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan reportedly discussed the matter on a hotline on Sunday,” it added.
Normally, the two military officers make contact on Tuesday on a routine basis but this time they engaged each other “in an extraordinary move” on the hotline for talks.
“That was only possible with the consent of top military leaders of both the countries. Apparently, this helped lower the tension,” The News quoted a source as saying.
“The war hysteria of the Indians seem to have gone down at least for the time being as defence analysts say war never breaks out when forces on both sides of the border are prepared,” the newspaper said.
“The time of war has gone and even India cannot dare mount surgical strikes primarily because of the uncertain response plus Pakistan’s strong air defence system,” it quoted a top official as saying.