29 October 2004	Friday	14 Ramazan 1425

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

ISLAMABAD, Oct 28: The latest round of track-II Neemrana Dialogue held in New Delhi earlier this month signals that Pakistan and India may be 'close to an agreement' on the type of documents the Kashmiris would use for travelling across the divided region , the main hurdle in starting the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service..

The two sides discussed the crucial question to devise a way to facilitate travel on both sides of the Line of Control. At the end of their meeting on Oct 3, the Pakistani team headed by former foreign secretary Niaz Naik and the Indian team led by former foreign secretary Rasgotra agreed to a proposal for a simple travel document to be used by the Kashmiris to cross the LoC, it is learnt.

The proposal contained no passport or visa requirement but a simple document to be issued by local administrations on both sides, sources said. The recommended document would bear the traveller's name, father's name, profession and names and addresses of the contact points on the other side. Three copies would be prepared and stamped by the local administration for each traveller.

The co-chairpersons of the Neemrana group, Mr Naik and Mr Rasgotra, jointly drafted the proposal in the form of a letter and signed it for the two foreign ministers. Later, at a dinner where Indian External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and Pakistan's High Commissioner Aziz Ahmed Khan were present, Mr Naik handed over the letter to Mr Natwar Singh and discussed the proposal with him.

Apparently, Mr Natwar Singh agreed with the proposal and suggested that it be announced to the Indian media representatives present on the occasion that the recommendation of the Neemrana group was acceptable to India and Pakistan. However, Mr Naik proposed that it would be appropriate to put the announcement on hold till he got a formal approval from the Pakistan government.

On his return, Mr Naik conveyed the Indian position to Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar. Mr Naik was told that the proposal would be acceptable to Pakistan.

When the Pakistani High Commissioner in Delhi went to the Indian foreign ministry to communicate Islamabad's consent he was told that the proposal had not been approved by Mr Natwar Singh who had just said that he would consider it.

Accordingly, Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad Shivshankar Menon informed the foreign office that the Neemrana proposal should not be taken seriously.

When Dawn contacted the Indian high commissioner on Thursday, he made it clear that he preferred keeping matters being negotiated away from the public domain, although Neemrana was not an official dialogue.

A senior Indian diplomat insisted that Mr Natwar Singh had been just being polite and had said 'very good' to the proposal when it had been shared with him. "We should not read too much into every exchange," the diplomat said.

When asked if the proposal was being considered by Delhi, the diplomat was non-committal. "It is a proposal on the table. There are all kinds of proposals and we look at them whether we like them or not," he said.

Another explanation from the Indian official quarters was: "Mr Natwar Singh listened to them (Neemrana co-chairpersons) and his silence was taken as consent."

Talking to this correspondent, Mr Naik confirmed that the Neemrana group had shared with Mr Natwar Singh a 'specific' proposal pertaining to the travel document. He indicated that the Indian external affairs minister was extremely receptive to it.

It appears some agreement may be in the works through the quiet political channel. Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri's expression of hope in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 24 for 'a quick agreement' on starting a bus link between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar is a hint that he may already be in touch with his Indian counterpart.

Expert level talks between the two countries on the issue are scheduled for Dec 7-8 in New Delhi.

Kashmiris on both sides of the region have rejected the Indian proposal that they use passports and visas to travel to the other side. Pakistan had proposed travel on UN documents.

The start of a Kashmir bus service that would reunite divided families is considered as one of the most important CBMs being discussed between India and Pakistan.

The Neemrana Dialogue formed with initial sponsorship of the United States Information Centre in 1991 meets alternately in Pakistan and India to discuss contentious issues. The 20-member Neemrana group, composed of influential former diplomats, retired generals and prominent education and business personalities, has equal representation from both the countries.