New humanitarian route across divided Kashmir

In the middle of a green valley, under a collapsed bridge on a riverbed, 24 Indian villagers stranded in Pakistani-administered Kashmir since the 8 October earthquake were allowed to cross the Line of Control (LoC), back to their villages in Indian-administered Kashmir on Thursday. The move marked another step toward realising a breakthrough agreement reached in October to let people from either side of Kashmir cross over at five points along the frontier to help relief efforts and allow divided families to reunite. Before today’s crossing the two sides had only exchanged relief supplies. The Hajipir-Uri crossing is the fifth border crossing that has been opened since the earthquake that ravaged Pakistani-administered Kashmir, claiming over 73,000 lives, injuring 100,000 people and leaving 3 million homeless. About 1,400 people died in Indian Kashmir. Under the eye of United Nations observers and a throng of media, Indian and Pakistani officials greeted each other as villagers walked across. The two sides also exchanged relief items, including blankets. Delays in letting people cross have been blamed on bureaucratic problems and New Delhi's fears that separatist Muslim militants fighting Indian rule in Kashmir may be among those seeking to cross. Pakistan and India have fought two wars over the Himalayan territory. “I’m happy I’m going home,” said Gulabjan, who had travelled to Pakistani-administered Kashmir to visit family. “I’ve been worried about family in my village,” she said. Gulabjan had taken a new fortnightly bus service that started in April, linking families from the two sides. The LoC cuts through Kashmir, dividing villages and families. When the earthquake struck, many were stranded on the other side other. The controversial line has been unpopular with locals who say it prevents them living normal lives. “This line is like a line of blood cut between blood relatives. This law dividing these people should not exist,” said an official who did not want to be named. But Pakistani officials complained that villagers stranded on the Indian side were not allowed to cross at the same time, as agreed. “They said they would also send over people back to this side, but now they say they are not going to,” said an official. “They have given no reasons,” he added. The area running each side of the LoC is heavily militarised by both Pakistan and India, who have installed landmines, artillery, barbed wire, fortifications, observation towers and machine gun nests along stretches of it. There has been a ceasefire for a year and a half and last month the two countries agreed to open five crossings but there have been delays in letting people cross. Some observers have argued the limited traffic across the LoC signals a further thawing in relations between the two South Asia nuclear powers. This was not confirmed by the Pakistani military. “This is basically a humanitarian issue and that’s why we are doing it, it’s not a political issue. Quite simply, people want to meet each other," said Maj Farooq, a public relations officer from the Pakistani army. But quake survivors in need of relief say they want the LoC scrapped altogether. In remote valleys in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, hundreds of villages are inaccessible due to landslides, high mountain ranges and encroaching snow. People in these communities say their only route to safety is to cross the LoC into Indian-administered Kashmir, where they can then take the road to Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir and a key emergency relief centre.