| Bus, trade with PoK remain suspended | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, July 29: The Karvan-e-Aman bus, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), apart from the trade across the Line of Control (LoC), remained suspended since March 24, official sources said.
Though no reason was given for continued suspension of bus and trade, it is said that due to strained relations between India and Pakistan after the February 14 fidayeen attack by Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) at Awantipora on Srinagar-Jammu national highway that left 44 CRPF personnel dead and several others injured, the cross bus and trade could not be resumed.
Initially, it was informed that Karvan-e-Aman bus was suspended on March 24, as Aman Setu peace bridge was under repair from PoK side at Kaman post, the last Indian military post on this side of the LoC.
The bus, one of the major Confidence Building Measures (CBM) taken by India and Pakistan to allow divided families to meet each other, was first operated on April 7, 2005, despite opposition by militants.
The bus has since helped thousands of families, divided since 1947 due to partition, to meet each other. It was also decided to allow residents from both sides to travel on 'Travel Permits,' instead of International passports.
However, travel permit is being issued, only after the intelligence agencies from both the countries clear their names.
The Cross-LoC trade also remained suspended since March 4. However later, the trade was also officially suspended by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), after intelligence reports indicated that trade was being used by anti-national elements, for fomenting violence in Jammu and Kashmir.
The NIA has raided over a dozen cross-LoC traders and it is being alleged that it (trade) was being used for terror funding. On Sunday, NIA raided four traders in Baramulla district. |
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