75 cross over to PoK in Karvaan-e-Aman bus

Srinagar, Aug 3 (UNI) The Karvan-e-Aman bus today left here with 75 passengers for Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK), official soruces said.

They said the passengers in two buses left here under tight security arrangments for Kaman post, the last Indian military post on the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector.

The 25 passengers, including 14 male and 11 females, are going for the first time to PoK to meet their relatives after about 60 years since partition.

They said 50 passengers, including 30 male, 17 female and three children will return to their homes in Muzzafarabad and other areas in PoK after meeting their relatives here.

The passengers have to deboard the buses at Kaman post where their documents will be checked before allowing to cross over to PoK.

They had to cross the Aman Setu bridge on foot and later board the buses of PoK for Muzaffarabad.

Official sources said the arrival of fresh passengers from PoK had increased during summer as compared to winter when the entire Kashmir remains under snow.

The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, resumed after 58 years, was started on April 7, 2006 when Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayed flagged off the first bus from Sher-e-Kashmir cricket stadium.

However, the service remained suspended for about two months when the Kaman bridge and major portion of road on the other side were damaged in the October 8 killer quake in which more than a lac people were killed and the same rendered homeless.

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