US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI8253

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 008253 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/23/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, PGOV, PINR, PHUM, EAID, IN, PK, Kashmir, INDO-PAK, Earthquake 
SUBJECT: INDIA OPENS LOC TO HELP PAKISTAN DESPITE TERROR 
FEARS 
 
REF: STATE 195483 
 
Classified By: PolCouns Geoff Pyatt for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
1.  (U) Summary: Consistent with the PM's admonition to find 
ways to make the Line of Control (LoC) less relevant and 
facilitate quake relief, the GOI is putting aside fears that 
terrorists will seize the advantage even as it creates camps 
along the LoC to provide food, shelter, and medical attention 
to Pakistani Kashmiris requiring aid.  Some of the modalities 
remain to be worked out, including what documents Pakistani 
Kashmiris would need to cross into Indian Jammu and Kashmir 
(J&K) and then return to Pakistani Kashmir, but the GOI 
insists the camps will be ready for operation within a few 
days.  Understandably, some commentators are concerned that 
terrorists may use this as another method to infiltrate 
across the LoC, or may even target the camps themselves. 
India also has provided substantial disaster relief to 
Pakistan and will participate at the Geneva Donors' 
Conference on October 26.  End Summary. 
 
Helping Hands Across the Border 
------------------------------- 
 
2.  (U) Following the give-and-take between the GOI and GOP 
that played out in the newspapers, Delhi is preparing to 
build at least three "composite relief and rehabilitation 
points" along the LoC -- and reportedly is considering other 
locations as well.  (NOTE: Both Delhi and Islamabad had 
proposed five locations; construction is beginning on the 
three sites that were common to both lists.  END NOTE.)  MEA 
Spokesperson Navtej Sarna told journalists on October 22 that 
construction has begun on border crossing zones in Kaman 
(near the Aman Setu Bridge in Uri, on the route plied by the 
Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus), Teetwal (in Tangdhar District), 
and Chakoti (in Poonch District) -- areas the GOI had 
previously identified as possessing large numbers of families 
divided by the LoC.  Sarna estimated that the camps would 
become operational as early as October 25.  In addition to 
functioning as meeting points, Sarna said that visitors from 
Pakistani Kashmir could receive "medical aid, food, drinking 
water, and temporary accommodation."  This shifts the terms 
of reference from meeting points as a people-to-people CBM to 
aid camps for (temporary) cross-border refugees. 
 
3.  (U) These special arrangements will only be made 
available to people directly affected by the earthquake, 
Sarna continued, meaning Pakistani Kashmiris (vice Pakistanis 
from other parts of the country).  They will need to document 
that they come from earthquake-affected areas, although Sarna 
indicated there may be some flexibility on what papers the 
GOI will require.  The visitors will be allowed to stay at 
these facilities overnight for medical treatment if required, 
but Sarna indicated that most would be encouraged to return 
to Pakistani Kashmir after their treatment is complete, 
typically after a few hours.  Furthermore, Indian nationals 
will be permitted to visit these camps to see relatives from 
Pakistani Kashmir. 
 
4.  (C) The J&K Police Inspector General (Kashmir) told us 
that he is assembling the materials needed to build the 
facilities envisaged and added that the camp in Tangdhar 
could be set up within a few hours, but he has yet to receive 
clearance from Delhi, or even clarity as to what organization 
(MEA, BSF, etc.) will actually operate the facilities.  Other 
modalities will need to be coordinated between Delhi and 
Islamabad before the plan can be launched. 
 
Terrorism the Overriding Concern 
-------------------------------- 
5.  (U) Understandably, the overriding Indian concern about 
the relief effort is cross-border terrorism, which has 
continued unabated despite the quake, with 11 Hindus being 
slaughtered and a J&K minister assassinated in addition to 
the daily killings of police and army personnel.  A number of 
op-eds over the weekend of October 22-23 questioned whether 
terrorists would simply use this venue as yet another method 
to infiltrate across the LoC.  Of related concern will be the 
security around the camps themselves; terrorists attacked the 
Srinagar Tourism Center the day before the launch of the 
cross-LoC bus, and terrorist groups will undoubtedly consider 
whether attacking these relief camps will yield the political 
mileage they desire.  Hafiz Saeed, head of designated FTO 
Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, was quoted in an October 24 interview with 
an Indian news service saying that "If the LoC is opened, 
more harm will come to Pakistan ... India will use it as an 
opportunity to send over spies." 
 
Indian Aid to Date 
------------------ 
 
6.  (U) Sarna also listed the substantial aid India has sent 
to Pakistan, as of October 22 (Reftel): 
 
-- 22 tons of medicine from the GOI, plus almost 40 tons more 
from private donors; 
 
-- 16,550 blankets from the GOI, plus 88,000 from private 
donors; 
 
-- 620 tents from the GOI (Army stocks), plus 20,000 from 
private donors; 
 
-- 35,000 quilts and mattresses from private donors; 
 
-- 14 tons of plastic sheeting from the GOI, plus 14 tons 
from private donors; 
 
-- 100 tons fortified biscuits from the GOI, and hundreds of 
cartons of other foodstuffs from private donors. 
 
GOI Participation at Donors' Conference 
--------------------------------------- 
 
8.  (SBU) We hear that Minister of State (PMO) Prithviraj 
Chauhan will represent the GOI at the October 26 Donors' 
Conference in Geneva (Reftel).  This senior political 
presence augurs well for Delhi's participation -- Chauhan is 
close to Mrs. Gandhi and is considered to be her "eyes and 
ears" in the PMO. 
 
Comment: Disaster Diplomacy Starting to Pay Dividends 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
9.  (C) The LoC relief camps represent a multiple good news 
story: helping to save lives, reuniting families divided by 
conflict, fueling rapprochement, and building trust and 
confidence in a part of South Asia that sorely lacks both. 
India -- led by PM Singh -- is enthusiastically trying 
"creative disaster diplomacy" to try to knock down barriers 
with Pakistan in an effort to bring the two countries closer 
than they were on October 7.  END COMMENT. 
MULFORD