Cross-LoC Tourism Aspirations: Possibilities and Challenges

THE IDEA OF CROSS-LOC TOURISM-CONNECTING PEOPLE, CULTURES, AND ECONOMIES-HOLDS SIGNIFICANT PROMISE BUT ALSO FACES FORMIDABLE HURDLES. REALIZING THIS VISION REQUIRES MUTUAL DIALOGUE, TRUST-BUILDING, AND, CRUCIALLY, PAKISTAN'S SINCERE COMMITMENT TO CURBING INFILTRATION AND TERRORISM, WHICH HAVE LONG UNDERMINED REGIONAL PEACE.

- SYED SHOWKAT

The Line of Control (LoC) divides Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan-occupied territory. Though it functions as a de facto border, it lacks international recognition.

Following the 1972 Shimla Agreement, India and Pakistan renamed the 1949 UN-supervised ceasefire line as the LoC, without altering their territorial claims. Ironically, this heavily militarized line cuts through one of the world's most beautiful regions. The LoC runs across Kashmir's rivers, forests, meadows, and mountains—areas rich in potential for tourism and cultural exchange. Yet deep-seated mistrust and recurring conflict have obstructed cross-border engagement. For cross-LoC tourism to move forward, Pakistan must demonstrate genuine intent to halt infiltration and state-sponsored extremism. Its internal instability, military interference in governance, and lack of political consistency remain significant roadblocks. If Pakistan commits to change, it stands to gain the most—both economically and diplomatically—from peaceful engagement across the LoC.

ASPIRATIONS