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Pakistan reacts cautiously to PM's proposal

Pakistan on Wednesday responded cautiously to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's proposal for joint patrolling of the Line of Control to stop infiltration by terrorists into Jammu & Kashmir, saying such a mechanism was unlikely to work in the current state of bilateral ties.

But at the same time Islamabad expressed readiness to discuss the proposal if India formally conveys it along with a signal to resume a comprehensive dialogue.

The foreign office in Islamabad said in a statement that the proposal was not new and India had suggested a similar mechanism in the past to monitor the international boundary.

"We have seen an Indian proposal for joint monitoring of the LoC in Jammu & Kashmir by Pakistani and Indian forces. The LoC is already being monitored by the armies of both countries on their respective sides as they are deployed on the borders," it said.

"If India is serious in making such a proposal, it should convey this formally to Pakistan. All proposals and counter proposals could be discussed as soon as India signifies its willingness to resume a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan," the statement said.

The statement also said the United Nations had already got a mandate to monitor the LoC and suggested that its role be expanded to monitor the movement of terrorists.

Meanwhile, President Pervez Musharraf, on his arrival from the Almaty summit on Wednesday, said the Indo-Pak tension had not ended, but had been reduced.

PTI

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