The Hindu : National : Softening of LoC will transform south Asia: Mufti

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 17, 2005

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Softening of LoC will transform south Asia: Mufti

By Luv Puri

JAMMU, MARCH 16. The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, said today that the softening of the Line of Control would change the whole atmosphere in south Asia and usher in permanent peace and economic progress.

In an exclusive interview to The Hindu here today, Mr. Sayeed said:

"The softening of the Line of Control is a giant step towards the normalisation of relations between India and Pakistan. The free movement between the two parts of the State will lead to the demolition of myths and propaganda about this part of the State."

According to the Chief Minister, the softening of the Line of Control will counter Pakistan's propaganda that people in the State are not safe in the country and people across the border will realise the strength of our democratic institutions.

Objecting to the argument that this move is based on the road map of western countries, Mr. Sayeed said:

"There may have been interest in many foreign countries about the State but that does not mean that anybody can dictate their agenda on the two countries. I must make it clear that the idea of softening of the Line of Control has not emanated from Washington but it is the aspirations of the people of the State who desire the breaking of man-made barriers.

"We have a strong democracy functioning in every part of the country and therefore transparency would help the neighbouring country to understand the vitality of our democratic institutions including the State which has immense diversity," he said.

Accepting that a majority of the divided families who live in the Rajouri-Poonch belt would have to travel more than 900 km on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road to be united with their relatives across the Line of Control, Mr. Sayeed said:

"I can understand this practical difficulty and Inshallah [God willing] these matters will be taken care of when a decision on opening other roads like Nowshera-Mirpur, Poonch-Rawlakot is taken. There are also problems within Pakistan Occupied Kashmir as there is no road between Muzaffarabad and the rest of the important places such as Mirpur, Kotli, Bhimber and Bagh. I hope that the proposal of the Central Government to open up five designated points along the Line of Control is accepted by the Pakistan Government in due course to provide comfort to the divided families."

On the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, the Chief Minister said:

"The frequency of the bus service may be increased once the bus gets into operation. At present we propose to take 30 passengers from here to Muzaffarabad and vice-versa every fortnight. We have taken precautions to make sure that no anti-national sneaks into the country. There is a proper procedure to establish the credential of a person coming from across the Line of Control. There is no need for any concern in this regard."

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