Kashmir, border opened

Crossing the ceasefire line was forbidden for 58 years. Civilians will be allowed to cross on foot, with priority given to families divided by the border.

Islamabad (AsiaNews/Agencies) - In an unprecedented move, India and Pakistan agreed yesterday to open up the frontier in the disputed Kashmir region to aid the flow of relief goods and reunite divided families in the aftermath of South Asia's colossal earthquake.

The two sides issued a joint statement to establish crossings at five points along the Line of Control, the ceasefire line dividing the region for nearly six decades as the result of the neighbours' competing claims over the area.

The agreement came in the wake of Saturday night's explosions which killed dozens in New Delhi, carnage that Indian leaders blamed on unspecified terrorists. Pakistan's government condemned the bloodshed. "There was fear. It had been a practice in the past [in India] to blame Pakistan for anything like that. But this time, nobody blamed Pakistan," said Khalid Mahmood, a research analyst at Islamabad's Institute of Regional Studies.

Crossing the ceasefire line was forbidden for 58 years, until Pakistan and India agreed to a twice-monthly bus service earlier this year.

The border openings begin on November 7, nearly a month after the quake. Relief can be sent in either direction and handed to authorities at the crossings. Civilians will be allowed to cross on foot, with priority given to families divided by the border.

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Kashmir, border opened

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