ISLAMABAD, 3 December 2003 — In another move to ease ties with India, President Pervez Musharraf offered to withdraw his troops from Pakistan-controlled Kashmir if India does the same in its part of the disputed territory, it was reported yesterday.

“If India pulls back its 700,000 troops from Kashmir, I’ll do the same tomorrow,” he said on a BBC radio program late on Monday night.

Recent moves to ease relations between the two nuclear powers on the Indian Subcontinent were “only the beginning”, he added. However, observers do not expect India to accept Musharraf’s offer as a number of militias in Indian-controlled Kashmir are fighting for the region’s independence or annexation to Pakistan.

Since last week, Indian and Pakistani troops in the divided area have been holding a truce. However, the cease-fire has not included the extremists in the Indian-controlled area, who announced at the time they would step up their campaign of violence.

Meanwhile, on the political level, the thawing of ties continued as the countries also moved to reopen traffic links which had been cut for almost two years.

One Monday, the two neighbours had agreed to resume air links on Jan. 1, 2004, after Musharraf offered to end a ban on Indian flights over Pakistani territory.

A bus link between New Delhi and Lahore was previously opened as the only other direct link between the two countries in July of this year.

On Nov.23, Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali announced a unilateral cease-fire on the Line of Control — which divides the disputed region of Kashmir — and the rest of the international border that separates the two countries.

Gen. Musharraf also said he wished to award India’s Prime Minister Ata Behari Vajpayee with Pakistan’s highest civilian honor if he helped end the dispute that has plagued relations between the two countries for over half a century. According to Musharraf 50,000 Pakistani troops are lined up at the border area against about 700,000 Indian soldiers — a number which observers say would be challenged by India.

India on the other hand has accused Pakistan of supporting the extremists in Indian-controlled Kashmir, in a claim that is rejected by Pakistan.

BA Reveals 2001 Terror Threat Against Its Pakistan-Bound Flights

British Airways (BA) revealed yesterday a terror threat in 2001 against its Pakistani-bound flights had triggered a 27-month suspension which has just been lifted.

“After Sept. 11 (terror attacks in the US) we had a specific terrorist threat to our flights to Islamabad,” Steve Allen, BA’s regional commercial manager, told reporters in Islamabad within hours of the arrival of the first London-Islamabad flight since Sept. 12, 2001.

“A thorough review of security measures at Islamabad airport recently confirmed that levels of security now in place satisfy our requirements to allow us to resume flights.”

Allen did not reveal details of the threat.

BA, which has operated flights to Pakistan since 1929, suspended the flights one day after the terror attacks by suicide plane hijackers in the United States.

BA’s last security evaluation six months ago gave the all-clear for flights to Islamabad to resume. It will operate three flights a week between London and Islamabad.

A Boeing 777 left London’s Heathrow airport Monday and landed at Islamabad early yesterday carrying 250 passengers, including a delegation of UK tour operators and journalists.