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LoC crossover points ready: Pakistan

B. Muralidhar Reddy

The same procedure as followed for the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service

ISLAMABAD: The five points across the Line of Control (LoC) from the Pakistan side to enable people travel on foot to the Indian side would be operational from Monday.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said arrangements to open the points to people wishing to cross over have been completed.

Last week India and Pakistan agreed to open five designated points along the LoC to let people on both sides to travel across and help in quake relief.

Asked about the number of people expected to cross the points on the opening day Ms. Aslam said the details were still awaited. As per the agreement the procedure for allowing the people to cross is the same that is followed in the case of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service.

Permits criticised

A section of the media and civil society in Pakistan has been critical of the procedure saying it would be unfair to expect quake-affected people to travel all the way either to Muzaffarabad or Srinagar to apply for the permit.

"If a person in need of help can come down from the mountain tops and travel all the way to Muzaffarabad to obtain the permit, why would he/she go across the LoC for help? We thought the idea of opening of the Loc was to allow instant help", observed a member of the non-governmental organisation.

Pakistan Foreign Office has claimed that Islamabad wanted simpler norms to enable people cross the LoC but New Delhi did not agree. One view is that India was particular about the verification mechanism in the light of reports in the Pakistani media about the extensive involvement of militant outfits in relief efforts in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Decision on F-16s hailed

The United Nations has said that Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's decision to postpone the purchase of F-16 jet fighters is a welcome move which will free up money for needy earthquake victims.

"These are definitely welcome comments," the UN's Emergency Coordinator in Pakistan Jan Vandemoortele told foreign media here on Saturday. He was referring to Gen. Musharraf's announcement on Friday that he would delay plans to buy around 25 of the multi-million-dollar planes.

"It will certainly free up the money to take a larger part of the pie, because the work has to be done and if the international community will not come up with the resources, the ultimate resources will be domestic," he said.

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