Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, May 21: The Karvan-e-Aman bus, which plies between Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) and Srinagar, operated normally on Monday.
The bus, one of the major Confidence-Building Measures introduced on April 7, 2005, despite hurdles by militants, has helped thousands of families divided in 1947, due to Partition, to meet each other. Only state subjects from both sides are eligible to travel in the bus on 'Travel Permits' instead of international passport, provided their names are cleared by intelligence agencies from both the nations.
One resident of PoK arrived here while no Kashmiri crossed over to the other side in the weekly bus, official sources told UNI.
However, 14 returnees crossed sides at the Aman Post, the last Indian military outpost on this side of the Line of Control in Uri.
The bus left Bemina in the summer capital with two PoK returnees. Nine more residents of PoK boarded the bus at the Trade Facilitation Centre,Uri, before it left for Aman Post. They included two women, the sources added.
No resident of Kashmir travelled to PoK this week, the sources said.
One PoK resident arrived here to meet relatives separated due to Partition. Three people, including a woman and a child, who had gone to PoK returned, after completing their stay across the LoC. |
