Renewed efforts between India, Pakistan generate hope in J

Srinagar, Sep 27 (UNI) Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today said the renewed efforts of India and Pakistan for sustained dialogue through peace and reconciliation has generated hope in people of Jammu and Kashmir, the major stakeholders of the political unrest in the sub-continent.

Addressing workers meeting here, the PDP leaders said a gradual softening of the Line of Control (LoC) will be of a great significance, and a good beginning has been made with this agreement.

They said the agreement reached between the leadership of India and Pakistan needs to be followed with the opening of more border-trade posts.

''The decision on trade has made a clean break with the sordid past of mutual recrimination, an atmosphere of distrust and suspicion,'' the PDP leaders remarked.

They added that the trade across the LoC is in the larger interests of both the countries and ever since the inauguration of bus service between the two parts of Kashmir, all the regions on both sides have been anxiously waiting for further measures to open communications across the border.

''Trade across LoC would not only address the discrepancies but movement of goods across the border is deemed as a meaningful Confidence Building Measure (CBM),'' these leaders added.

The PDP leaders said the increase in people to people contact, trade, commerce and economic cooperation in the region would not only provide an effective platform to develop and strengthen the Indo-Pak relations, but would also create a feasible environment for peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue.

UNI BAS BDP BST1329