'Plan to convert Line of Control into border'

Islamabad: A prominent politician from Pakistani Kashmir has claimed that Islamabad and New Delhi have been giving serious thought to a plan to convert the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir into an international border.

Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry, a former prime minister of the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, told a news conference here yesterday that back channel discussions could lead to an agreement soon but warned that Kashmiris on both sides of the border would strongly oppose the division of their homeland.

People's participation

Chaudhry, who leads the Peoples Muslim League party in Pakistani Kashmir, said the plan to make the LoC an international border was conceived to break the deadlock over Kashmir in the ongoing dialogue process but asserted that there could be no viable solution to the Kashmir row without participation of people's representatives in the talks.

Accusing the present government in Pakistani Kashmir of "massive corruption", Chaudhry said he would come out with a white paper this month to expose what he termed the "misdeeds" of the ruling Muslim Conference.

He announced his group's support to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz of exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.