Most Pakistanis that Outlook spoke to said that especially now, the LoC should remain frozen as it is. But there were others who felt that the present war-like situation in Kargil which could escalate into an all-out war is basically because of the fluid demarcation at the LoC.
Privately, one former bureaucrat told Outlook, "Having the LoC as the border would end skirmishes and if this had been done some years ago, we would not have the situation we are faced with today. Yes, it was an American initiative but the problem at least Pakistanis face is opposition from the Kashmiris themselves."
This more than anything else points to the basic flaw in negotiations between India and Pakistan, where they completely bypass the Kashmiris. This has alienated them completely and when issues such as the future of LoC is brought up, resistance is sure to come from Kashmiris on both sides. And though New Delhi would be delighted to see the LoC demarcated as the border, Islamabad would like to go a step further and call for internationalising the whole Kashmir issue, not just allow the LoC to be taken up in isolation. It is for this specific reason also that Pakistan has shown its disappointment at the reaction from the world community which is focusing only on how to douse "the bush fire and stabilise the LoC".
"The most serious violation by India was the military penetration in Siachen in '84. Since the LoC hasn't been demarcated on the ground, India has continued to nibble at territory on the Pakistani side by dint of force," says Abdul Sattar, former foreign secretary and foreign minister.
Former general Talat Masood says that altering the LoC would not help either side. "If the LoC is stable, it helps both. If you start challenging every inch, like for example Kargil, where there is no demarcation and ambiguity, if we open up the whole of the LoC for discussion, where will the conflict end? The whole area will be unsettled," he says.
What has also always baffled Pakistan is the Indian allergy to get the UN to monitor the LoC. Many feel that the presence of UN observers could prevent Kargil-like situations from flaring up till a permament solution is found. There are charges of India having violated the LoC earlier. Says Lt Gen Sardar F.S. Lodi, former chief of general staff, "The Simla Agreement India keeps throwing in our face also said the LoC will not be changed. When they went into Siachen, they actually went against its spirit." So far, that the spirit was violated is the only meeting point between New Delhi and Islamabad.
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