Pakistan set to open LoC at five points today: India ready with one

07 Nov, 2005

Pakistan has made all arrangements to open the Line of Control (LoC) at five designated places on Monday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said.
Talking to PTV, she said the Indian government has informed Pakistan that it cannot open four points on Monday because of technical grounds and that they needed some more time.
The Spokesperson expressed the hope that rest of the points would be opened on November 9 or 10.
The designated places are Nauseri-Tithwal, Chakoti-Uri, Hajipir-Uri, Rawalakot-Poonch and Tattapani-Mendhar, she added.
The proposal to open the LoC was made by President Pervez Musharraf on October 18 to allow flow of relief goods across the LoC and enable people from both sides to meet one another.
An agreement to open the LoC at five points was reached between Pakistan and India in Islamabad on October 29.
The two sides had said the crossings would open on November 7. But on Saturday, India said only one of the five, in its Poonch district, would open on Monday.
Another crossing point would open on Wednesday and a third on Thursday. Work to clear the way to two other points, including the removal of landmines, was continuing, Indian officials said.
The Indian army said a relief camp at the first point to open, at Chakan da Bagh, was ready to host 100 people.
"We have restored a helipad to evacuate emergency patients who will come across the LoC," Colonel S.K. Gautam, an Indian army spokesman, said. India says it will be ready to open the crossing at Chakothi on Wednesday.
ISPR: All preparations on the Pakistan side are complete for opening of five designated crossing points on the Line of Control (LoC), an ISPR statement said on Saturday. To open the Nauseri-Tithwal crossing a bridge on River Neelum is required to be laid at Chiliana.
Army airlifted the equipment to the site and has prepared the anchorage on the home side and the bridge would be completed once work in the Indian side is also permitted, the statement said.
At Chakoti-Uri crossing, the track has been prepared by the Army engineers and widening of road is in progress which will be completed by Sunday (November 6).
At HajiPir-Uri crossing site, a total of 23-km-long road up to Khoja Bandi was widened in the past few days.
At Rawlakot-Poonch crossing site, one and a half kms-long track from Titrinot to the LoC has been prepared by Army engineers. Removing of minefield has also been completed and surface of the road is being improved.
At Tatapani-Mehander, the fifth crossing site, the engineers have constructed 1.5-km-long track and similarly, mines have also been cleared on this track. Six telephone connections, including two international dialing telephones have also been installed at the crossing sites.
The statement said that relief centres have been established at all the five crossing sites that include the erection of shelters and storage of relief goods.
At relief centers, medical teams will be available to attend the affected people coming from other side. The opening up of these relief centers entailed heavy work by Army engineers in past few days particularly the clearance of mine fields and preparation of new roads and tracks, the statement said.

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