KASHMIR-INTERLOCUTORS 2

Karbalaie said he brought to interlocutors' notice the
eruption of tension and disturbances during the Lok Sabha
(Lower House) poll in Ladakh region.
"We have one Lok Sabha seat for Leh and Kargil. This
often creates tension between Buddhists and Muslims. We
suggested the Rajya Sabha seat should be reserved for one
district and the Lok Sabha for the other," he said.
Demands for opening up of Kargil-Skardu road on the
pattern of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawalakote routes
and providing direct telephone facility with Pakistan Occupied
Kashmir, Gilgit and Baltistan in Pakistan were also raised,
Karbalaie said.
"We are not able to talk to our relatives in Gilgit
and Baltistan due to the one-sided jamming of telecom
services," he said.
Kargil Hill Development Council chairman Kachoo Ahmad
Ali Khan said "we raised the issue of connectivity of Kargil
with rest of the country during winter."
They stressed on expediting work on construction of a
tunnel at Zojilla pass that would connect Ladakh region with
rest of the country throughout the year, he said.
"We also sought introduction of small air flights
to Kargil," Khan said.
He said he brought to the notice of interlocutors
the refusal of army to vacate 100 hectares of land in Kargil's
Kurbathang area.
The land was required for expanding the district
headquarter's town, Khan said.
"We have given them 150 hectares at Kumputhang in
Sanko area which is much safer than Kurbathang as it is out of
the firing range of Pak troops. But, they are not vacating the
land."
Later, the interlocutors flew to Baramulla where
they met several delegations including that of the Numberdar
Association, Transporters and a political party.
The two-member team will visit the border town of
Uri, near the Line Of Control, Thursday. PTI