Karvan-e-Aman bus to resume journey tomorrow after a month

Srinagar, Mar 29: The '' Karvan-e-Aman'' cross-border bus service between India and Pakistan will resume its journey tomorrow after remaining off the road for about a month.

The journey was cancelled on three occasions following Islamabad's request due to landslides at various places along the Muzaffarabad- Chokothi road.

The landslides were triggered due to heavy rains, official sources said adding Pakistan army commanders informed the Indian counterpart at Aman Setu on March 2 that the bus service was not possible due to the landslides.

Again on March 9 and March 16 similar request came from the other side of the border, forcing cancellation of the bus service.

Sources said stay of passengers from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) who had crossed over to this side, had been extended.

Similarly passengers from this side were allowed to extend their visit in PoK, they added.

The bus service also remained suspended for about two months when the 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK and parts of north Kashmir on this side claiming lives of more than one lakh people and rendering lakhs homeless.

The Aman Setu was also damaged due to earthquake. However, a new balley bridge was constructed by the Indian army which was inaugurated by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on February 20.

Two passengers from here also lost their lives in PoK due to tremors while four others returned back via Kaman post after covering the distance from Muzaffarabad on foot.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi flagged off the inaugural run of the trans-Kashmir bus service from the Sher-e-Kashmir cricket stadium here on April 7 last year.

About 800 passengers have so far crossed the Line of Control (LoC) since the launch of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service between India and Pakistan on April 7 last year. A total number of 400 people from Jammu and Kashmir have travelled across the LoC to Muzaffarabad, on board the ''Karvaan-e-Aman (Caravan-e-Aman)' upto February this year.

As many as 416 passengers travelled from Muzaffarabad to Srinagar in the same period.

While 290 passengers crossed the LoC from the Kashmir valley, 89 travelled from the Jammu region to Muzaffarabad by the bus.

A total number of 5,200 applications were received by the Regional Passport Office, Srinagar in this regard since the resumption of the bus service.

The bus service, resumed after 58 years, helped the families separated since 1947 to meet each other after India and Pakistan agreed to allow the state subjects of the entire Jammu and Kashmir to travel without passports on simple travel permits.

However, no citizen of other Indian and Pakistan cities would be allowed to travel through this route.

The bus service was welcomed by all and a number of separatist leaders including Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, Mohammad Yaseen Malik and Moulvi Abbas Ansari also travelled to POK through this route.

However, chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali ShahGeelani said resumption of the bus service was a non- issue and refused the Pak invitation while Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party chief Shabir Ahmad Shah was not issued travel permit by the Regional Passport Officer (RPO) here after he mentioned '' Kashmir'' in the citizenship column of the form.

The RPO is the authority to issue travel permit to citizens from this side after getting clearance from Pakistani side besides local intelligence agencies here.

The centre has already indicated that after the bus service, trucks would be allowed to ply on the route for trade between people living on both sides of the LoC.

UNI