SRINAGAR: The Karvan-e-Aman bus, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarbad, capital of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) and cross Line of Control (LoC) trade remained suspended since March 4 due to high tension between India and Pakistan, official sources said.
There is no possibility of resuming the peace bus to PoK introduced since April 7,2005 to help families divided in 1947 partition to meet each other, the sources said.
The weekly bus service was suspended on March 4 after it was reported that authorities from PoK side were repairing Aman Setu, peace bridge at Kaman Post, the last Indian military post on this side at Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector. However, the service could not be restored due to tense situation on the border due to frequent violation of ceasefire by Pak troops on the LoC and International Border (IB) in the state.
The bus service, one of the major Confidence Building Measure (CBM) has helped thousands of families to meet each other after India and Pak agreed to allow only state subjects to travel in the bus on travel permits instead of International Passport. Barring hardline Hurriyat Conference (HC) chairman Syed ali Shah Geelani and Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) chief Shabir Ahmad Shah, almost all separatist leaders had travelled in the bus to PoK and Pakistan. Shah is currently under the detention of Enforcement Directorate.
Later, the Union Home Ministry ordered suspension of the Cross-LoC trade between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad following reports that it was being used for terror funding. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested a number of cross-LoC traders and conducting searches at their residences in connection with terror funding.
(agencies)
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