From April, Srinagar can take bus to Muzaffarabad

India had already conveyed its willingness to drop the issue of passengers carrying passports but there was still no clarity on who would stamp documents on either side and whether the service would be confined to Kashmiris as Pakistan had demanded earlier.

To his credit, Singh utilised his meeting with President Pervez Musharraf this morning to good effect. The meeting lasted an hour, much beyond what had been slotted. By the time Singh made his way out, Pakistan TV networks were flashing the news that an agreement had been reached.

It’s learnt that Singh used the opportunity to officially convey India’s willingness to accept entry permits and drop the insistence on passports. New Delhi’s flexibility was highlighted given that it had already proposed to do away with visas.

The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson, in response to Monday’s report in The Indian Express, had said if India would not insist on passports, Islamabad too would show ‘‘flexibility’’.

Taking that forward, Pakistan agreed to drop its condition for restricting the service to Kashmiris. The service is now open to all Indians and Pakistanis but not for a national of any third country.

On the tricky issue of stamps to be used on documents, both sides agreed to let either side follow its own procedures after it was made clear that any aspect of the documentation will not be used by either side to undermine each other’s position on Jammu and Kashmir.

The two sides agreed to take a humanitarian view aimed at improving people-to-people contact. This cleared the way for India to designate the Regional Passport Office in Srinagar as the authority for issuing applications and sending it across to the Pakistani side of the LoC where Deputy Commissioners of Muzaffarabad and Mirpur have been chosen as designated authority.

Indians will also be allowed to go to Gilgit and Baltistan. The outline of the procedure agreed is:

• Application to be obtained from designated authorities

• Once filled and submitted, forms will be sent across LoC for verification

• Post-verification, a list of those cleared for travel will be handed over to respective designated authorities

• These persons will travel up to the Immigration check post by bus, where entry permits will be issued for further travel by the country concerned

In case of India, this will be a document bearing the Government of India stamp. Pakistan, however, can use the stamp it wants on its permit. In other words, the matter of stamping is now the internal affair of either country. The Indian check post is likely to be located at Urusa near the LoC.

Though the agreement was reached, the two foreign ministers refrained from going into details in their joint statement, leaving enough space for officials on either side to do the explaining separately.

‘‘Both countries have agreed to allow travel across the LoC between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad by bus. Travel will be by an entry permit system, once identities are verified. Applications for travel will be available with designated authorities in Srinagar and Muzaffarabad,’’ is all the joint statement said apart from expressing the hope that the service commences by April 7.

It was Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, who later clarified that this was open to all Indians and Pakistanis.

‘‘But this is a special arrangement and will not apply to other bus services,’’ he said.

The challenge now will be for both countries to put in place the infrastructure needed for the service. Both sides will have to de-mine the area close to the LoC and repair the roads for the bus service to take off in the next seven weeks.