Wednesday, Dec 08, 2004
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By Amit Baruah
NEW DELHI, DEC. 7. Indian officials suggested today that an "entry permit" be used along with the passport by passengers wanting to travel on the proposed Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, as talks with their Pakistani counterparts on travel documents appeared to reach a deadlock. However, Pakistan showed little sign of budging from its "no passport" stand — making it clear that only local identity documents could be carried by Kashmiris, who wanted to use the bus service. According to the Indian side, the Pakistani delegation insisted that it would not accept the proposed "entry permits" or passports in the two hours of talks that took place today. Though the talks will continue tomorrow, the likelihood of any agreement is slim. However, both sides are "committed" to continuing these discussions. The Indian side formally informed Pakistan that as far as they were concerned it would be the "entry permit" and not the passport that would be stamped. The passport would be used merely as an identity document, but this was not acceptable to the Pakistanis. A Pakistani source told this correspondent that they had also suggested that the use of the bus service be restricted to Kashmiris. Pakistan, the source added, did not, in any way, want to take away from the disputed nature of the territory on either side of the LoC. The carrying of the passport, too, Pakistan felt, could become a problem in the future.
`Not serious'
Indian sources familiar with the talks claimed that the Pakistani side was not serious about commencing the bus service, a proposal made by New Delhi in October 2003. The sources stated that in order to accommodate Pakistani sensitivities, India had proposed that passports not be stamped and a separate entry document (permit) be issued by the High Commissions in New Delhi and Islamabad to the passengers. There would be no visa pasted on the passport. Also, the Indian side was clear that such a bus service could not be restricted to Kashmiris holding Indian passports, but would have to be extended to all Indians. It was not possible to make a distinction between one group of Indians and another on ethnic grounds. The sources were of the view that if the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service began operations it would detract from the long-held Pakistani position that Kashmir was a "flashpoint" in South Asia. If the bus service got going, then the world would get used to the idea that things had become normal in the region, they felt.
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