Wednesday, June 1 2005 20:02 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Maintaining that travel by any individual by Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service is limited to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), as per the Indo-Pak agreement, Government today (Jun 1, 2005) put the "onus" on Islamabad for any visit by Hurriyat leaders beyond PoK.

External Affairs Ministry also said some Hurriyat leaders had applied for passports, which were being processed by Regional Passport Office (RPO), Srinagar but expressed ignorance about the number of such Hurriyat leaders.

"The position of the Government is that it is willing to consider request for travel by any Indian national to Muzaffarabad and other parts across the Line of Control (LoC) by the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters in New Delhi.

He said that these requests are being processed in accordance with the understanding reached between India and Pakistan, which specifies that the travel on basis of permits issued by the two sides is limited to the territory of erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir.

On this basis, applications of some Hurriyat leaders have been processed and those accepted by Pakistani side have been allowed to travel, Sarna said.

"If some Hurriyat leaders have been invited to travel to Islamabad, as reported, outside the provision of the above understanding, the onus for this lies with the Pakistani authorities," he said.

On Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq's reported plans not to travel by the bus but by his private vehicle, the spokesman said, "The agreement (for travel to PoK) is for the bus. How can I talk about cars? I will have to check with Home Ministry."