Passports or no passports is the big bus question

Showing flexibility on the issue of travel documents for the proposed Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus, India today suggested separate entry permit...

Showing flexibility on the issue of travel documents for the proposed Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus, India today suggested separate entry permits along with passports for passengers taking the bus instead of stamping regular visas.

On the first day of the technical talks on the proposed bus link, billed the most far-reaching of the confidence building measures, India indicated its willingness to push things forward by dropping its insistence on visas.

But the Pakistan delegation led by Jalil Abbas Jilani, Director General (South Asia) in the Pakistan Foreign Ministry, was still keen on travel without passports.

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Being the first of the technical meetings on the bus link, sources said, the issue was unlikely to be resolved this time.

While India feels that it has gone half the distance by discounting the need for regular visas, Pakistan is of the view that the issue of entry permits is linked to the possession of a passport which makes it no diffrent from a visa.

Sources pointed out that Pakistan was politicising the issue of travel documents and this could stall moves for an early start of the service.

For Pakistan, it is important to ensure that the agreement on the bus reinforces its description of Kashmir being a ‘‘disputed’’ territory.

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So Islamabad continues to insist on just permits as issued by local district authorities till 1953 for Kashmiris on either side to cross the LoC. This proposal, sources said, will not only strengthen Pakistan’s position but will be used as a leverage for future discussions.

It’s learnt that Pakistan today cited two models during the talks. One was the Cyprus model where Turkey and Greece have agreed on an identity document issued by the UN Peacekeeping Force for Cyprus.

The other model suggested was that of certificates issued by Red Cross which were honoured by both North Korea and South Korea for cross-border traffic.

As for identity documents, Pakistan was of the view that local authorities can also issue special identity cards that can be used instead of a passport.

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But India is clear that it will not compromise on passports which will be mandatory for entry permits to be issued by respective high commissions. Through its proposal today, India is willing to just stamp the permit and not the passport as is done usually.

Sources pointed out that there is no compromising the Indian position on Jammu and Kashmir. The rationale being offered is that LoC is not recognised as an international border and hence, the insistence on visas can be dropped.

But New Delhi has never used the word ‘‘dispute’’ to describe Kashmir and has always maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India which is why passports are a must.