"We have asked the ministry of external affairs to finalise the date of talks that are stalled since March 2014. The MEA is going to take it up with Pakistan's foreign affairs department soon," sources said.
Revival of the joint working group (JWG) on Line of Control (LoC) confidence building measures (CBMs) between India and Pakistan is on the cards after Modi-Sharif meeting in Ufa signalled thaw in the bilateral relations.
Sources said that with the channels getting opened for talks at the level of national security advisers and directors general of military operations (DGMO), the revival of JWG is the next important step that is the key to have normal relations between the two countries as it decides on local trade and people to people contact relations between Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Kashmir on the Indian side.
"We have asked the ministry of external affairs to finalise the date of talks that are stalled since March 2014. The MEA is going to take it up with Pakistan's foreign affairs department soon," sources said.
Through the JWG talks, India is looking at increasing the number of local trade export-import related items that stand at 21, frequency and number of trucks that ply between the two countries through LoC.
Currently, 200 trucks per week are allowed to ply from each side on a weekly basis. But that is not enough to fulfil the demands of traders on both sides.
As a goodwill gesture, India has already decided to increase the money component from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 for Kashmiri people going to PoK to meet their relatives.
However, to keep out the possibility of any kind of smuggling of drugs and explosives, India has decided to install full body truck scanners at both the trade routes.
"The tenders for scanners will open on July 24 and plan to install them within two to three months time," said sources.
There is also the possibility of increasing the cap on number of local people visiting on either side also and the duration of their stay.
It has remained a key issue for people of Kashmir on either side but unless the JWG talks happen and crease out the thorny issues.
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