LoC monitors impractical: India to Pak

The Government today turned down Islamabad’s oft-repeated suggestion to have international monitors to verify whether there is cross-bo...

The Government today turned down Islamabad’s oft-repeated suggestion to have international monitors to verify whether there is cross-border terrorism along the Line of Control and said it was an old ploy to internationalise the Kashmir issue.

Terming it as ‘‘self-serving’’, a Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said this proposal has been dismissed by India in the past too. ‘‘This is not the first time we have heard Pakistan talk about international monitors. But such self-serving and impractical proposals have been aimed at internationalising the issue and to bring in third praties into the picture. India has rejected all such proposals before.’’

If there is enough confidence between the two, sources said, the issue can be resolved bilaterally. The question of international monitors in a terrain like the one along the LoC was impractical and unnecessary, he said. Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee’s recent statements, MEA officials agreed, have raised hope of changing the tenor of Indo-Pak relations. ‘‘After our PM’s statements, there is an expectation of a new approach. We have heard Pakistan PM Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali’s statement that response would come in two or three days. We would rather wait for that.’’

Islamabad has made it clear that there should be no pre-conditions attached to the talks. However, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri added that it would like international observers to observe whether cross-border terrorism is on along the LoC.

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