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| 15 January 2004 | Thursday | 22 Ziqa'ad 1424 |
Pakistan, India to increase officials: Diplomatic missions
NEW DELHI, Jan 14: Pakistan and India have agreed to increase the size of their diplomatic missions and remove travel restrictions on diplomats in line with bilateral efforts to improve warming ties, an official said here on Wednesday.
"We have been informed that the two confidence-building measures, which is, increasing the mission staff from 55 to 75 and the removal of restriction on movements of mission officials, are acceptable and these will now be implemented," India's Foreign Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters in New Delhi.
The two countries had 110 officials in their embassies until they downgraded diplomatic ties and severed transport links after an attack on the Indian parliament in December 2002.
The spokesman said the proposals were accepted as part of confidence-building measures. Mr Sarna said the latest agreement was part of confidence-building measures offered by Islamabad to New Delhi.
Islamabad's proposal was back-to-back on India's offer to hike the number of its diplomatic staff in Pakistan. India has also asked Islamabad to lift rules that ban Indian diplomats from travelling beyond the borders of the Pakistani capital following a similar request made by the opposite side.
Mr Sarna also said India and Pakistan would introduce two new bus transport services, one between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad and the other between Khokhrapar and Munabao, but that no dates had so far been finalized.
"The other two confidence-building measures are also acceptable but they will come back to us with suggested dates for the technical-level talks on the two bus links," the spokesman added.
"One of the dates suggested by India has already passed, so obviously that has not worked out. One was Jan 12, the other was Jan 19. So they will now come back to us with dates for holding the technical talks," he added.-Agencies
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