Karwan-e-Aman bus resumes, cross-LoC trade from tomorrow

Srinagar, Aug 7 :  The Karwan-e-Aman bus service, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) resumed today after remaining suspended last week. The Cross-Line of Control (LoC) trade is likely to resume from tomorrow after remaining suspended since July 21, when over 60 kg of drugs were recovered from a POK truck at Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC) in Uri. Though some leaders of BJP, a coalition partner in the coalition government with PDP demanded suspension of the trade, the chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has said that she will not allow trade between the two parts to be derail and pitched for opening more trade routes between Jammu and Kashmir and PoK. The weekly bus was suspended on July 31st between the two sides after a message was received from Pakistan that there is a holiday in PoK on account of 14th death anniversary of founding president of PoK Sardar Mohammad Ibrahim Khan. However, the peace bus left here this morning for Kaman post, the last Indian military post on this side of the LoC in Uri sector, official sources told UNI. All the passengers who were scheduled to travel last week have been accommodated in the bus today, he said. Sources said the POK residents who could not travel in Poonch-Rawlakote bus after the service remained suspended for about four week also boarded the bus here to travel return to their houses. The exact number of travellers will be known later in the day, he said. Similarly the number of PoK resident travelling from Muzaffarabad to here will be known later in the day. The bus service, a major Confidence Building Measure (CBM) between India and Pakistan after 1999 Kargil War, continued despite unrest in Kashmir in 2016 and tension on the LoC, due to ceasefire violation and subsequent surgical strike by Indian troops in the PoK. The cross-LoC bus service started on April 7, 2005 despite opposition by militant organisations has helped thousands of families, divided in 1947 due to partition, to meet each other after India and Pakistan agreed to allow travel of state subjects from both sides on travel permits, instead of international passport. The travel permit is issued to the state subject from both sides of the LoC, only after their names are cleared by the intelligence agencies from India and Pakistan. However, only state subjects from both sides can avail the cross-LoC bus facility. UNI