Pakistani and Indian officials on Monday finalised new Kashmir-specific CBMs including the launch of Kargil-Skardu bus link, increase in the frequency of cross-Kashmir bus service between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar as well as the number of trading days across the Line of Control (LoC). The finalisation of these important cross-LoC CBMs took place in meeting of the Joint Working Group on cross LoC CBMs, which met in New Delhi. The agreement on these CBMs is most likely to be announced after the meeting between Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers in the Indian capital.
The meeting, which was the first engagement between the nuclear neighbours after triple blasts in Mumbai on July 13, gave final touches to new Kashmir-specific CBMs and they would now be tabled before the foreign secretaries from Pakistan and India during their meeting on July 26 in the Indian capital, a day ahead of important talks between Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar and India’s External Affairs Minister SM Krishna.
“The two foreign secretaries could suggest some amendments in the two sides draft agreement on the new Kashmir-related CBMs during their talks and could send them in their present shape to the foreign ministers who could announce the pact on them at the end of their meeting,” an official said.
He said the officials from Pakistan and India also discussed the proposed agreement on liberalising the visa regime aimed at greater people-to-people contacts between the two states.
