Relief Centres on LoC: Pakistan Ready for Opening Today  
By Mumtaz Hamid Rao - PakistanTimes.net Editor & Special Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Sunday that it has made all arrangements to open five points along the LoC from today, Monday to permit quake-hit Kashmiris from both sides to cross over in accordance with the recent agreement reached with India.

The five crossing points are ready to be opened and relief centers were set up to facilitate quake victims with proper shelter, medical camps and other relief goods.

India and Pakistan have agreed to open Nauseri-Tithwal, Chakoti-Uri, Hajipir-Uri, Rawalakot-Poonch and Tattapani-Mendhar points along the LoC. The points are being opened for the first time in 58 years to enable people from both sides to meet and help with the reconstruction work.

Relief centres have been established by Pakistan at all five designated LoC crossing points to provide relief to the quake stricken people from the other side.

Director General Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan said on Sunday that Pakistan was prepared to receive people at the crossing points from the Indian-occupied Kashmir.

Each relief centre has shelter, storage of various relief items as well as medical teams. Doctors would be available to attend the quake survivors coming from the other side, he said.

The purpose of opening the crossing points is to allow the flow of relief goods across the LoC and reunite the divided families who could help their brethren in the aftermath of worst earthquake in the history of this area, he added.

Pakistan Army has airlifted the necessary equipment for constructing a bridge on Neelum river at Chaliana. The bridge will be completed once work on the Indian side is permitted, he said.

At Chakothi-Uri crossing the track has been prepared by the Pakistan Army engineers. Widening of road was in progress. At Hajipir-Uri crossing a total of 23 km road from Hajipir to Khawaja Bandi has been widened in the past few days. A half km track from Khawaja Bandi upto the LoC has also been constructed.

At Rawalakot-Poonch side a half km long track from Tatlinor to LoC has been prepared by the Army Engineers. The clearance of mine fields has also been completed and the surface of the road is being improved, he said.

A fifth crossing site at Tattaapani, a 1.5 km long track has been made serviceable and similarly a mine field on this track has also been cleared.

India delays Opening

Meanwhile, a report from New Delhi says that India on Saturday temporarily delayed opening four of the five crossing points along the militarised Line of Control [LoC] in the Himalayan State of Jammu & Kashmir, which it had agreed to open for quake victims, saying only one will be opened as scheduled on Monday.

India's foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday evening that only the camp in Kashmir's Punch district will get open as planned, and said camps in the Uri and Teethwal valleys would open on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Indian army spokesman Lt Col VK Batra said earlier that landmines were being cleared at two crossings.

In a major bilateral breakthrough, India and Pakistan agreed on October-30 to open five crossings along the Line of Control [LoC] to enable the flow of relief materials and reunite families of divided Kashmiris, who were devastated in the October-8 earthquake.

In-depth

Pakistan has made all arrangements to open the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashimir at five designated places on Monday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said.

The Indian government had informed Pakistan that it could not open four points on Monday because of technical grounds and that they needed some more time, she said and expressed the hope that rest of the points would be opened on Nov. 9 or 10.

The designated places are Nauseri-Tithwal, Chakoti-Uri, Hajipir- Uri, Rawalakot-Poonch and Tattapani-Mendhar. India's foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday evening that only the  camp in Kashmir's Poonch district will open as planned and said camps in the Uri and Tithwal valleys would open on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

An agreement to open LoC at five points was reached between Pakistan and India in Islamabad on Oct. 30. The proposal to open the LoC was made by Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf on Oct. 18 to allow flow of relief goods across the LoC and enable people from both sides to meet one another.

Another report says that marking a new chapter in Indo-Pak ties, the Line of Control (LoC) will be opened for quake relief work on Monday with one of the three crossing points becoming functional while non-completion of work has delayed operationalisation of the rest by two days.

The crossing point at Chakan da Bagh in Poonch will be operationalised on Monday, External Affairs Ministry said in a statement here. The crossing point at Kaman in Uri will become operational on November 9 and Tithwal in Tangdhar on November 10, it said.

All the three points were to open from Monday but operationalisation of the two points has been delayed due to non-completion of work, including laying of surface and clearing roads of landslide debris and demining. Relief material for the earthquake victims will be sent through these crossing points and people can start using them to cross the LoC as soon as their names are approved by both sides, the Ministry said.

As agreed, it said, crossing would be permitted on foot due to the non-availability of or damage to infrastructure at the above crossing points. Kashmiris in IHK, who are desirous of using the crossing points have been asked to collect application forms from and apply to the Regional Passport Office in Srinagar.

UN helicopter lands by mistake in IHK

Yet another report says that a U.N. helicopter carrying a senior U.N. official and Western and Pakistani reporters landed by mistake on the India held-Kashmir side of the heavily fortified LoC on Sunday during a tour of the earthquake zone. The mistake was made after incorrect coordinates were entered into a flight plan, a U.N. spokeswoman said.

"You are presently standing in Indian (Occupied) Kashmir territory," an Indian official said as he boarded the aircraft, shortly after it touched down at a helipad at Udoosa. The aircraft had been bound for the small town of Chinari, in Azad Kashmir.

"It seems we're about 20 km (12 miles) off course," said U.N. spokeswoman Amanda Pitt. She said the helicopter had landed at the correct coordinates given on the U.N. flight plan. "It seems it's a misunderstanding resulting from several emails that went back and forth," Pitt said.

Pakistan and India, which have gone to war twice over dispute on the mountainous State of Jammu & Kashmir, are due to open a crossing on the militarised LoC in the Himalayan region today, Monday to help with quake relief efforts.

But the crossing, one of five due to be opened, will be open only to people on foot. Aircraft are not allowed to cross the border. An Indian army officer said he believed it was the first time such a mistake had been made by a U.N. helicopter although a U.N. official said foreign military helicopters helping with the relief operation had made similar mistakes.

Buildings around the helipad in Udoosa were damaged by the Oct. 8 earthquake, which killed more than 80,000 people in norther province of Pakistan [NWFP] and Azad Kashmir. Indian soldiers invited the U.N. officials, the Ukrainian helicopter crew and journalists to stop for tea and candied fruit.

Rashid Khalikov, senior U.N. emergency coordinator negotiated with the Indian officers and appeared unperturbed. "Let's say, it's a fantastic opportunity to have tea here," he said. "It doesn't come along that often."

Indian officers took names and a photograph of those on board before bidding farewell with handshakes and smiles all round. When the helicopter landed back in Azad Kashmir, a U.N. security officer greeted the aircraft.●