(a) whether the Government propose to treat the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir as the Line
of Peace;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has discussed the proposal with the Pakistan Government;
(d) if so, the response of Pakistan Government thereto; and
(e) the current status of the talks held on the issue?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI PRANAB MUKHERJEE)
(a)-(e) Prime Minister during his convocation address at the University of Jammu on 15 July
2007 had inter alia, stated that the Line of Control (LOC) can become a line of peace with
freer flow of ideas, goods, services and people. A number of Confidence Building Measures
(CBMs) are being implemented to achieve freer flow of ideas, goods, services and people across
the border. These are
(i) Ceasefire since 25 November 2003,
(ii) the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad
bus service (started on 7 April 2005),
(iii) LOC crossing and meeting points opened after
the October 2005 earthquake,
(iv) the Poonch-Rawalakot bus service (started on 20 June 2006),
and
(v) Agreement on cross LOC trade.
Measures to expand such CBMs are also being pursued and Government have already
proposed to the Government of Pakistan that the Kargil-Skardu and the Jammu-Sialkot routes
should be opened.