Reopen Kargil- Skardoo road, LAHDC urges India, Pakistan

Kargil, Jan 12 (UNI) The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) here has urged the Centre to take steps for reopening the road between Kargil and Skardoo (Baltistan) in Pakistan-occupied -Kashmir (PoK).

Chairman of the LAHDC Asgar Ali Karbalayee said many families in the Ladakh region have been divided since partition and are on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC).

He said due to partition Kargil has lost its cultural and commercial importance.

Hailing the resumption of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawalkote bus service, Mr Karbalayee said reopening of Kargil-Skardoo road will help hundreds of families divided for the past 57 years meet each other.

He said the ceasefire on the borders which was a result of the peace process between India and Pakistan helped the people of Kargil and Drass live peacefully.

Mr Karbalayee said people of Kargil were the worst sufferrers of strained relations between India and Pakistan since 1948.

Hundreds of people were killed or injured due to shelling on the borders. However, since both the countries have announced ceasefire, there was not a single incident of shelling.

He recalled the Kargil conflict and said almost the entire population of Drass and Kargil had to shift to safer places because of shelling.

Mr Karbalayee appealed to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to take up the issue of reopening of Kargil-Skardoo road with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf during his visit to the country.

UNI