Rakesh Rocky Posted online: Monday, November 21, 2005 at 0254 hours IST
Jammu, November 20: YET another feather will be added in the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) between India and Pakistan tomorrow when first time after Partition, nine persons from this side of the Line of Control including two Pakistanis, cross over to Pak Occupied Kashmir at Chakkan-da-Bagh crossing point in Poonch to meet their earthquake-affected relatives.
According to sources, after the clearance of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), permits have been issued to nine persons including two Pakistanis who will cross over to the other side of the LoC at 11 am tomorrow. Two Pakistanis had come to this side a few weeks ago to meet their relatives.
These people will cross over via Chakkan-da-Bagh where on November 7, India had handed over a few truckload relief material to the Pak authorities for the earthquake victims in PoK.
In a joint declaration in Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf had announced opening of Poonch-Rawlakote road on the pattern of Uri-Muzaffarabad road, but this is yet to materialise.
However, tomorrow’s event will be historic as this will be for the first time after Partition that any person will legally cross over to the other side.
‘‘All the arrangements have been made by the administration. Nine people will be going to meet their relatives in PoK via Chakan-da-Bagh tomorrow,’’ Jammu Divisional Commissioner B.R.Sharma told The Indian Express.
However, it is not clear how many people will be coming to Indian side tomorrow. ‘‘We have yet to receive any information in this regard from the Pakistan side,’’ said a senior official. The Poonch district police Chief and Army will provide them security.
Sources said that the batch of seven Indians included six persons from Mendhar and three from Poonch, but there was no idea of the number of people coming to India. J&K Police CID special branch today issued permits to the persons cleared by the MEA.
The visitors from the Indian side include Qateel Sarwar, his wife Parveen Sarwar, daughter Sakina Sarwar and son Feroz Sarwar. They are residents of Goldh in Mendhar. Others are Javed Iqbal and his wife Gulrez Anjum, residents of Galoota in Mendhar, and Mohammad Aslam of Nagali in Poonch. The names of two more persons from Poonch have not been received yet.
All the persons will be escorted by the civil administration up to Chakkan-da-Bagh crossing point on the LoC. They will be ferried in a bus to the crossing point from where the Pakistani authorities will make further arrangements.
