NEW DELHI, Dec 8: Pakistan and India on Wednesday ended their first meeting on the proposed bus service traversing the Line of Control indicating there was no agreement, although they stopped short of saying so.
"The first meeting between India and Pakistan on all issues related to the commencement of the bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad was held in New Delhi on Dec 7-8, 2004," a joint statement said at the end of the talks.
The Indian delegation was led by the surface transport minister's Alok Rawat and the Pakistani side was led by Foreign Ministry Director-General Jalil Abbas Jilani. "The talks were held in a frank, cordial and constructive atmosphere," the statement said.
It said: "Both sides reiterated their commitment towards an early establishment of the proposed link. Ideas were exchanged on all aspects related to operationalization of the bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad. "The two sides agreed to continue discussions at the next meeting to be held at mutually agreed dates," the statement said.
AGENCIES ADD: Earlier, Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh spoke of road bumps in the talks. "There are some hitches, but we hope to resolve this initially at the expert level and later firmly at the ministerial level," he told parliament.
Indian media reports said the talks were bogged down over the question of travel documents that passengers would have to carry. "Bus talk stuck on papers," said The Hindustan Times.
Mr Jilani told APP that Pakistan had taken the position that since discussions were taking place regarding bus service across the LoC, which was not an international border, arrangements for that would be different.
Pakistan could not accept any arrangement which would change the status of the LoC without addressing the Kashmir issue, he said. He emphasized that the travelling arrangements should be considered in line with the aspirations of the people of Kashmir.
Sources said Kashmiris did not want to travel through the bus service on the basis of passports. They demanded that travel should be on the basis of residence certificates issued by the state administrations, the sources said.
They were of the view that the travel permits, if issued by the respective high commissions, would be like visa and make the process cumbersome for the Kashmiris. During the talks, the Indian side insisted that everybody should be allowed to travel by the service. Pakistan stressed that the arrangement should be exclusively for Kashmiri people.
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