Karvan-e-Aman bus leaves for PoK with 22 passengers

Srinagar, Mar 30: The 'Karvan-e-Aman' yesterday left with 22 passengers on board to Aman Setu, the last border post on this side of the Line of Control (LoC).

The cross border bus service between India and Pakistan remained suspended for about a month due to landslides and shooting of stones triggered by heavy rains on the other side of the LoC.

Official sources told sources the bus with eleven passengers left Sriangar this morning for Baramulla where eleven more boarded it on to way to Uri.

The passengers include 18 people from India, who are going to meet their relatives for the first time after 1947. Four travellers are residents of PoK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) who arrived here in the last bus, in last week of February.

The passengers commuting from this side leave the bus near the Aman Setu and reach Kaman bridge to again board a bus of PoK for Muzaffarabad. Similarly passengers from POK after crossing over the bridge on foot, board a bus from this side to reach Uri.

The bus service could not be operated after 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 them, forcing its cancellation.

It was later agreed by authorities of both the sides to extend the stay of passengers from both the sides, sources added.

Last year the bus service also remained suspended for about two months as a strong earthquake rocked Muzaffarabad, parts of PoK and north Kashmir claiming more than one lakh alive and damaging the Aman Setu.

A new balley bridge was constructed by the Indian army which was inaugurated by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on February 20. Two Indians also lost their lives in PoK due to the quake while four 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. The bus service was resumed after 58 years to help the families separated since 1947 to meet each other. India and Pakistan agreed to allow the people of Jammu and Kashmir to travel without passports on simple travel permits.

Official sources said about 800 passengers have so far crossed the Line of Control (LoC) since the launch of the bus service.

They said a total number of 400 people from Jammu and Kashmir have travelled across the LoC to Muzaffarabad by ''Karvaan-e-Aman (Caravan-e-Aman)' till February this year.

As many as 416 passengers come here from Muzaffarabad during the same period.

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

Sources said a total number of 5,200 applications were received by the state's Regional Passport Office in this regard since the resumption of the bus service.

It was agreed by both the countries that no citizen of other countries would be allowed to travel through this route.

Almost all the separatists organistions and senior leaders including Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, Mohammad Yaseen Malik and Moulvi Abbas Ansari also travelled through this route.

However, Chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali ShahGeelani refused the Pak invitation.

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 has the authority to issue travel permits 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 also be allowed to ply on the route for trade between people living on both sides of the LoC.

UNI

UNI