No decision on LoC crossing points in flag meeting

MUZAFFARABAD—Pakistani officials held a flag meeting with their Indian counterparts near here but failed to convince the Indian side to announce an exact date for resuming crossings through a certain point along the Line of Control.
The flag meeting was held on the Indian held side of the LoC to fix date for resumption of passengers' movement through Tattapani-Mendhar crossing point and was attended by Assistant Commissioners and other officials both parts of Kashmir.
Assistant Commissioner Kotli and Assistant Commissioner Mendhar, Occupied Kashmir, have been designated by their respective governments to deal with the issue of crossings through Tattapani-Mendhar crossing point, which is one of the five points Pakistan and India had opened along the LoC soon after last year's devastating earthquake to facilitate the divided Kashmiri families particularly those affected by the quake.
However, about one and a half month ago crossings through Tatta Pani-Mendhar came to a close due to what Indian officials claimed damage caused by torrential rains to two bridges on Mendhar Nullah on their side.
Late last month, the passengers who were enlisted for trans-LoC movement through Tatta Pani-Mendhar were re-routed by the officials on both sides to the Tetrinote-Chakan da Bagh crossing point in the neighbouring Poonch district.
Assistant Commissioner Kotli Arshad Mahmood said, "In view of the problems of the intending travelers on his side, I pressed them hard to give some date, whether in the last week of September or first week of October but failed to change their mind."
"They declined to give any definite date saying immediately they were not in a position to make any commitment about it," he said.
Arshad said he was told by the Indian officials that once the rains stopped, they would reconstruct temporary bridges on the water channel and then hold a meeting to announce the date for reopening of the crossing point.
"Since the opening of Tatta Pani-Mendhar point, 250 people from this side have availed themselves of the facility and another 150 are waiting for their turn," he said, adding that they could not send more than 30 (fresh) passengers in a single crossing (which takes place every fortnight).
The AC further told that 30 fresh travelers belonging to his jurisdiction would now go across the LoC tomorrow (Monday), also through the Tetrinote-Chakan da Bagh crossing point in district Poonch.—SANA