Jammu, November 15
Having exchanged relief for earthquake victims at four points on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, it is now time for face-to-face meeting between members of the divided families of this side and those in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) at Chakan-da-Bagh on November 21.

Official sources said the date was tentative, but the first ever meeting between the divided families would not certainly be organised on November 17 as was decided earlier.

Victims of the killer earthquake on both sides would be allowed to meet for a few hours at the LoC and return to their respective places in the afternoon.

The sources said state government officials had earlier planned that 50 persons from each side would be allowed to cross the LoC and live with their relatives on either side for seven days, extendable by another seven days, but the plan had been shelved because of procedural wrangles by the Pakistani authorities.

The proposed meeting has created enthusiasm among the people on both sides, as most of them would be meeting their relatives after 58 years of the Partition. When the LoC was opened for exchanging relief material at Mendhar yesterday, a number of people sent messages to their relatives on both sides to meet at Chakan-da-bagh.

Gusto among the people was visible when for the first time the LoC was opened at Chakan-da-bagh last week when a crowd in PoK went out of control and the police had to fire teargas shells. People on both sides are now eagerly waiting to meet on the LoC.

The authorities on both sides have yet to finalise modalities for letting people cross to either side. The application forms for visiting PoK have not yet been made available at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Poonch. Once the modalities are decided, it would require at least 10 days to process the forms and grant necessary clearances.

Srinagar, November 15
The moderate Hurriyat Conference today urged the authorities to “immediately stop harassing the Kashmiris” in Delhi and its adjoining areas following the serial blasts in the national Capital on October 29 in which more than 60 people were killed and several wounded.

“Kashmiris staying in Delhi and its adjoining areas are being harassed by the authorities in the garb of investigations into the multiple bomb blasts in the national Capital,” Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told a news conference here.

He alleged several innocent Kashmiris had been arrested in the national Capital after the terror attack.

“There is a sense of insecurity among the Kashmiris in Delhi and other areas,” Mirwaiz Farooq said.

The Mirwaiz said the Hurriyat Conference had in unequivocal terms condemned the multiple blasts in New Delhi.

“We condemn all such acts aimed at innocent killings,” he added. — UNI