Karvan-e-Aman bus to PoK resumes after one week

Srinagar, Oct 15: The Karvan-e-Aman bus, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), resumed on Monday after remaining suspended last week for security reasons.

The weekly bus with 23 passengers, left Bemina in Srinagar to cross over to PoK, official sources told TNN.

They said more passengers will board the bus at Trade Facilitation Centre (TRC) at Uri before leaving for Kaman post, the last Indian military post on this side of the Line of Control (LoC). The exact number of passengers traveling in the bus to other side of the LoC would be available in the afternoon. Similarly, passengers coming from PoK will be known in the evening, sources said.

The cross-LoC bus was suspended last Monday for security reasons when the polling for the first of four phase elections was held in the state, including parts of Kashmir valley.

Sources said the passengers who could not travel last week were adjusted in the bus this time.

The bus, introduced on April 7, 2005, has helped thousands of families divided due to partition in 1947 to meet each other. The passengers are allowed travel on “ Travel Permits” instead of International passport. However, only state subjects from both sides of the LoC are allowed to travel in the bus after their names are cleared by the intelligence agencies of both the countries.