Karvan-e-Aman bus leaves to cross over to PoK

Srinagar, Sept 25: The weekly Karvan-e-Aman bus, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), left here this day morning to cross over to other side in Uri sector, where three foreign militants were killed by security forces during day long operation on Sunday. The bus left from here on Monday morning for Kaman post, the last Indian military post on this side of the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector despite strike called by Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF) against summoning its president Mohammad Yaseen Khan by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in terror funding case. The strike call was also supported by transporters and separatists. The bus has since reached Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC), Uri, official sources told UNI. They said the exact number passengers travelling in the bus will be known only in the afternoon. Similarly, the number of those travelling from PoK will also be known in the evening, they said. The weekly bus service was a measure Confidence Building Measure (CBM) taken by India and Pakistan to allow families divided due to partition in 1947 to meet each other. Despite opposition by militant outfits, the first bus was flagged off by then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on April 7,2005. Almost all separatist leaders, barring chairman of hardline Hurriyat Conference (HC) Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) chief Shabir Ahmad Shah, have travelled in the bus to other side of the border. The bus has helped thousands of divided families to meet each other since their separation in 1947. However, only state subjects from both sides are eligible to travel in the peace bus provided their names are cleared by the intelligence agencies from both the countries. UNI