Hours after militants carried out their biggest strike in Jammu and Kashmir in recent days, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said in Muzaffarabad that Pakistan was willing to allow ‘‘every Kashmiri’’ to cross the Line of Control to help in quake relief and reconstruction.India lost no time in welcoming the idea saying it was waiting for an official word on ‘‘practical details of implementing this intention.’’ So for the first time since the October 9 quake, prospects have brightened on greater cooperation across the LoC to help deal with the aftermath. ‘‘We will allow any amount of people coming across the Line of Control from Kashmir to meet relatives and assist with the reconstruction effort,’’ Musharraf was quoted by AFP in Muzaffarabad on a visit to affected areas. He said political leaders of both sides should interact to ‘‘assist each other’’ in the reconstruction effort. ‘‘No formal proposal has been made to New Delhi. It is being put across through you,’’ Musharraf said referring to the media. Thanking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the aid being sent to quake victims, he said: ‘‘We cannot accept soldiers. They should know this due sensitivity. Across the LoC, we cannot accept but will accept anything India sends.” ‘‘If these news reports are correct, we welcome the offer. This is in line with our advocacy of greater movement across the LOC for relief and closer people-to-people contacts,’’ said the MEA spokesperson. Musharraf’s proposal comes on a day when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh directed setting up ‘‘telecom facilitation centres’’ at Srinagar, Jammu, Uri and Tangdhar to assist families to contact their relatives across the LoC. For the next 15 days, families can phone free of charge from these centres expected to be operational by Wednesday.
