India drops passport demand but bus hits block

After giving up its stand on visas, it’s learnt that India is now willing to drop its insistence for passport as an identity document for the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service. While this was indicated to Islamabad through back channels, sources said, a new complication emerged with Pakistan insisting there should be no ‘Government of India’ stamp on the travel documents. Instead, sources said, Islamabad is prepared to accept the J&K government stamp.

Working with the principle that both countries will display flexibility on the documentation front on the condition that neither side will utilise it later to undermine each other’s basic position on Jammu and Kashmir, a broad outline of the travel document had emerged. At the core of the matter is the issue of establishing a method for pre-verification of applications by either side. To avoid inconvenience for Kashmiris, both sides are open to let the applicants submit their documents to Deputy Commissioners on either side. But the DCs will not issue the permits, they will pass on the forms to their local immigration outpost. The forms, in turn, will be handed over to immigration officials on the other side of the LoC who will then verify the details provided in the form and stamp it accordingly.

It is here that the differences have to be ironed out. While India says there should be no mark of the ‘Government of Azad Kashmir,’ Pakistan’s condition is there should be no Indian Government stamp while it is prepared to accept the J&K government stamp. Now, it will be for Natwar Singh to achieve a breakthrough working on the principle of not undermining each other’s position on Kashmir when he discusses the matter with his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.

Sources point out that document verification and immigration along the LoC is a very sensitive subject that will need to be handled by the Central government and Singh will look to assure Kasuri that New Delhi will not use this as an instrument to dilute Pakistan’s position on J&K.

While the outcome will serve as a guideline for the next round of technical discussions on this bus service, the other bus service between Amritsar and Lahore is expected to consume less time of the ministers. Both sides will look to implement this at the earliest. Singh is slated to meet Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi in Lahore and also explore prospects of mounting services to Nankana Sahib.

Sources said minor differences over the pre-notification of ballistic missile tests too have been sorted out and the agreement will be signed by the two foreign ministers at Islamabad. Both sides will also agree on a schedule for talks on the different subjects of the composite dialogue and other confidence-building measures.

This apart, India will hope to receive a positive response to its pending proposal for a meeting between the Petroleum ministers of both sides on the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project. Similarly, Islamabad has proposed a meeting of the Commerce ministers on February 22 to initiate expert-level deliberations on strengthening trade.

These are expected to be firmed up during Singh’s meetings with Kasuri and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. The External Affairs Minister is also expected to call on Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday.