Thursday, October 20 2005 20:31 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Pakistan will shortly make a formal proposal to India on opening the Line of Control to facilitate movement of Kashmiri people on both sides of the divide to help in quake relief and rehabilitation works.

Modalities for throwing open the LoC for Kashmiris would be settled through consultations between the two countries, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told reporters last night after a meeting with JKLF leader Yasin Malik here.

"If Kashmiris wanted to help each other, this is the perfect opportunity," Aziz said.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said Pakistan would shortly make a formal proposal to India on opening the Line of Control (LOC) to facilitate movement of Kashmiri people on both sides.

"Currently, internal discussions are taking place. We hope to contact the government of India shortly," she told local daily Dawn, adding the proposal would be made through Diplomatic channels.

"We hope the proposal on Kashmiris' travel would facilitate contact between Kashmiris on both sides of LoC so that divided families can meet, share each other's grief and help each other in whatever way they can," Aslam added.

She said, "we would like to proceed to work out the modalities at the earliest."

President Pervez Musharraf had on Tuesday made the offer to open the LoC to facilitating movement of Kashmiris who wanted to help in quake relief and rehabilitation efforts.