NEW DELHI, 9 December 2004 — India and Pakistan agreed yesterday to meet again after two days of inconclusive talks on starting a bus service in divided Kashmir.

Officials from the two countries agreed to resume talks and said they were committed to establishing the service across the heavily-militarized Line of Control that divides their two zones of Kashmir.

Analysts say the launch of the bus service could give an important boost to the peace process.

“Both sides reiterated their commitment toward an early establishment of the proposed link,” a joint statement said. “Ideas were exchanged on all aspects related to operationalization of the bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad.

“The two sides agreed to continue discussions at the next meeting to be held at mutually agreed dates.”

Earlier yesterday Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh spoke of road bumps in the talks. “There are some hitches but we hope to resolve this initially at the expert level and later firmly at the ministerial level,” Natwar told Parliament.

The proposed service would join Srinagar, capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, with Muzaffarabad, capital of Azad Kashmir.

The connection was halted after the first war between the rivals in 1947 following independence from Britain. Since then, resuming the service has been a demand of families divided by the heavily-militarized cease-fire line called the Line of Control.

The two sides said they held the talks in “a frank, cordial, and constructive atmosphere.” But Indian media reports said they were bogged down over the question of travel documents that passengers would have to carry.

“Bus talk stuck on papers,” said The Hindustan Times. India has been insisting passengers carry passports along with visas or a travel permit. Islamabad, however, opposes residents in its area of Kashmir traveling on passports and visas.

It fears this would be tantamount to accepting the Line of Control as a permanent border and the final division of the region that both countries claim in full.

An Indian official said Tuesday New Delhi had conveyed its position to the Pakistani delegation that passports were a must for the inter-Kashmir bus but flexibility could be shown on visas.

Kashmiri separatists opposed to Indian rule also oppose the use of passports for travelers. But in the scenic state there is considerable public enthusiasm about the bus.

“If the two countries succeed in opening the service, the peace process will move ahead at a good pace,” Indian Kashmiri journalist Tahir Mohiudin told AFP earlier. “If the talks fail, the chances of the process moving forward would recede drastically.”

The discussions are part of a comprehensive peace dialogue launched in January between the countries, which came close to a fourth war in 2002 before being reeled back by hectic international diplomacy.

India and Pakistan last year agreed to a cease-fire along their borders after years of daily shelling.

— Additional input from agencies