Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Feb 16: Fifty Pakistan and Indian nationals travelled through trans-Line of Control (LoC) Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Karvan-e-Aman bus today after remaining suspended last week following trade standoff due to recovery of narcotics from a Pakistani truck.
A senior official said here that 10 passengers, 7 Indian nationals and three Pakistanis, travelled from Srinagar to Muzafarabad today while 40 passengers, 12 Pakistanis and 28 Indian travelled from Muzaffarabad to Srinagar.
The official said that number of Pakistanis who travelled today was less as during the winter the traffic from the Pakistan remains less and in summers it is more. He said that more Indian travel to Pakistan during winters and less in summers.
Zulfikar Ali, a Pakistani national, who along with his wife were scheduled to return home last week were stranded here due to suspension of the bus service. “I had to return last week but couldn’t due to cancellation of the bus service. Our children are alone there and they were worried. We were praying for resumption of the bus service as we had bitter experience of last year when the bus service remained suspended for a month due to trade standoff”, he added.
Ghulam Rasool Taili of Sopore in North Kashmir was also travelling to Pakistan to attend the marriage of his relative. “I was booked for last week’s bus but it was suspended. The marriage of my relative is tomorrow and I was apprehensive but finally I am travelling today”, he added.
In the meantime, the trans-LoC trade will resume tomorrow after it was suspended following the recovery of brown sugar early this month. The trade standoff ended last Thursday after both the sides agreed to allow the 71 stranded trucks to cross the LoC. However, last Friday only 15 trucks with fresh fruit crossed the LoC from Indian side while no truck crossed into Uri from PoK due to protest by truck drivers and the family of the Pakistani driver who was arrested by Police in Uri after brown sugar was recovered from his truck. The trade again remained suspended on last Friday.
The Trade Facilitation Officer (TFO) Salamabad TFC, Showkat Ahmad Rather told Excelsior that they are sending 25 trucks from Salamabad. He said that trucks will goods are also expected from PoK.
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