Pakistan High Commission’s defence and army advisor Brigadier Chaudhary Amir Ajmal was invited to be a part of the Republic Day parade last week, The Indian Express reported.
An invitation of this kind was last extended in 2014, when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the chief guest for the parade. An extension of such an invitation between India and Pakistan was also witnessed in 2009 when then ISI chief Lt Gen Shuja Pasha attended the iftar dinner at the Indian High Commission.
According to government sources, Brigadier Ajmal had sought an invitation. Following this, the Ministry of External Affairs sent it to him through their protocol division, as opposed to the usual contact point.
The sources further added that Brigadier Ajmal was given “due courtesy” along with officials of similar rank from other countries in the VVIP enclosure on Rajpath.
The invitation followed the return of the Indian soldier Chandu Babulal Chavan who had crossed the Line of Control in 2016. After Chavan’s return, Pakistan had said that it believes in peaceful neighbourhood and rejects all actions aimed at undermining regional peace and security.
The Indian Express added that the Indian government sources said:
The treatment meted out to the Indian soldier had led to a certain lowering of temperature between the two armies, and this invitation needs to be seen in that context.
(With inputs from The Indian Express.)
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