The Hindu : Front Page : After bus, train to Pakistan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 18, 2005

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Front Page

After bus, train to Pakistan

By Amit Baruah

LAHORE, FEB. 17. Pakistan's green signal for the Khokhrapar-Munabao rail service between Sindh and Rajasthan has been facilitated by the decision to go ahead with the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service in Islamabad, Indian officials feel.

A couple of months ago, Pakistan had asked for three years' time for converting the metre gauge track on its side to broad gauge. Now, it has been agreed that pending gauge conversion, Indian and Pakistani passengers could use the available track and then cross the International Border and get into the "other train."

It was as if Pakistan was waiting for agreement on the trans-Line of Control (LoC) bus service before deciding to move ahead with the rail link, the Amritsar-Lahore bus service and taking concrete steps to re-open the Pakistani and Indian consulates in Mumbai and Karachi — agreed to by the two countries about eight months back.

The Foreign Secretary, Shyam Saran, told Indian presspersons accompanying the External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh, today that the idea was to run "synchronised" bus services from Srinagar to Muzaffarabad and in the reverse direction to allow passengers to cross the LoC.

He stressed that the Indian and Pakistani buses would not cross the LoC, but passengers would be able to get off and board buses headed towards Srinagar and Muzaffarabad. The passengers would, obviously, have to cross the LoC on foot.

Mr. Saran explained that after filling in a prescribed form, each passenger would be subjected to a pre-verification procedure. Once the document was issued by the designated authority of the passenger's country he would be able to take the bus and cross the LoC.

On crossing over, the passenger's document would be tallied with a computer database. Afterwards, the designated authority from the other side would issue the LoC "crossing permit" to the visitor and specify the places and duration of the visit. Passengers would also have to report to the police on arrival and before departure. On the Indian side the permit will be valid only for Jammu and Kashmir.

Creative compromise

Both India and Pakistan recognise that the LoC bus is a creative compromise. If India has accommodated Pakistan on the non-use of passports and visas, Islamabad has softened its stand by permitting all Indians and Pakistanis (not just Kashmiris) to use the bus service.

The External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh, and his counterpart, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, have good reason to be proud of this achievement.

Indian officials said New Delhi took no chances with the text of the bus agreement, which had been hammered out through back channels previously. Mr. Singh showed it to the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, at his meeting yesterday, who then gave the final, formal nod.

The late National Security Adviser, J.N. Dixit, his successor, M.K. Narayanan, and India's High Commissioner to Pakistan, Shivshanker Menon, have all been involved in the quiet negotiations which led to the accord.

Mr. Menon's access to Gen. Musharraf and his key adviser, Tariq Aziz, are said to have been crucial to clinching the deal.

There's a rumour going doing the rounds in Lahore these days. Lahoris believe that they will be able to drive to Mohali, near Chandigarh, for the India-Pakistan cricket match. Improving relations between India and Pakistan have generated their own expectations.

But, clearly, India and Pakistan have many miles to travel before such dreams become a reality. The Indian High Commission is making special arrangements to meet the visa rush for the cricket series, but no Pakistani vehicles will be able to make it through Wagah.

Not yet, anyway.

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