ISLAMABAD: Two doctors from Srinagar who have joined a hospital in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are a sign of the strengthening of the peace process, PoK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan said on Friday.

The doctor couple, Irfan and Saima, joined the Mirpur District Headquarters Hospital as medical officers on Thursday after arriving in PoK nearly a month ago.

"Without attributing it to any new policy, I take it as a part of the peace process. It is a very positive development and I must thank my counterparts on the other side of the Line of Control, as well as the Islamabad Government for facilitating this," Mr. Khan, a strong advocate of people-to-people contact between the two sides, told The Hindu .

Friends of the couple said they did not want to speak to the press.

Mr. Khan said the Union Government and the J&K Government had shown "reciprocity" to an open invitation by him to Kashmiri professionals on the Indian side to come and help in the post-earthquake reconstruction efforts.

The Indian Home Ministry issued passports to the couple, while Islamabad facilitated their visas, he said.

Indian High Commission officials said they were unaware of the couple's arrival in PoK.

The PoK Prime Minister expressed the hope that this was the beginning of more interaction between "grassroots" Kashmiris on either side of the LoC.

"God forbid, but there is always the fear of failure in a peace process between leaders, but when there is interaction between the people, the process becomes irreversible," he said.

He said the reconstruction work would take another eight to 10 years, and the administration did not have enough capacity to handle it on its own.

"But when there are qualified Kashmiri professionals like doctors, engineers and architects on the other side, why should I take help from anyone else?" he said.

Mr. Khan said it would also help mitigate unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir among qualified professionals. He said there was a demand for 30 to 40 more doctors, and over a 100 paramedical staff. Civil and mechanical engineers were also required, as were architects, Mr. Khan said.

"We are ready to accommodate as many qualified people as we can get. I'm ready to welcome even non-Muslim doctors. If Hindu Kashmiris want to come and help in the reconstruction effort, they are most welcome," he said.

The two doctors who have joined the Mirpur hospital have been taken on a temporary contract. Mr. Khan said his Government did "not want to breach an unwritten understanding" with the Indian side, but when "relations between the two sides of Kashmir are normal, we would like to offer [the doctors] permanent jobs."

He said he saw a "lot of wisdom" in External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's recent statement that no timeframe could be given for a resolution of the Kashmir issue. "It is a very positive statement, full of wisdom," he said, pointing out that Mr. Mukherjee had reiterated support for the peace process.

"It is the process that is important. As long as the process continues, progress will come sooner or later," he said.

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