Delhi welcomes Pak proposal on Kashmir links
From Meerza Iqbal Baig

NEW DELHI—India on Tuesday welcomed Pakistan’s proposal to allow earthquake-stricken Kashmiris to cross the de facto border dividing the two countries and families in a bitterly disputed region.
“We welcome the offer that has been made. This is in line with India’s advocacy of greater movement across the LOC (Line of Control) for relief work and closer people-to-people contacts,” an Indian foreign ministry spokesman said.
Earlier, India on Tuesday rejected Pakistan’s request for helicopters without crews for relief operations.
Pakistan’s foreign secretary Riaz Mohammed Khan called his Indian counterpart Shyam Saran “to convey that Pakistan would be willing to receive helicopters from India for relief work but without Indian pilots and crews”, said an Indian Foreign Ministry statement issued overnight.
“Saran conveyed to his Pakistani counterpart that it would not be possible for India to provide helicopters, which are in service with its armed forces without pilots and crews,” the statement said.
Saran repeated India’s ‘willingness to undertake relief work in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’ that lie close to the Line of Control (LoC).
Pakistan has already accepted three relief consignments — including food, medicines, tents and plastic sheets — from India for quake victims amid a worldwide aid effort to reach survivors.
India, which agreed on Saturday to a Pakistani request to fly helicopter sorties close to the highly militarised LoC, also asked Islamabad to pass on information concerning the proposed sorties to Indian military officials in New Delhi “as early as possible”, the statement added.