Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Jan 30: In a major relief to divided families on either side of Line of Control (LoC), India and Pakistan today decided to resume the weekly trans-Line of Control (LoC) bus services in Jammu and Kashmir that were suspended this month following the arrest of a Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) truck driver by Police on charges of smuggling narcotics.
Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Ghulam Mohammad Khawaja, told Excelsior that the decision to resume bus services between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad and Poonch and Rawalakote was taken in a meeting at the LoC, Aman Setu this afternoon between Indian and Pakistani officials. “However, no decision to resume the trans-LoC trade was taken but we are hopeful that the issue will be resolved soon”, he added.
The meeting started at around 3:30 pm. at Aman Setu on Zero line and last for about one hour. The meeting was attended by Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Ghulam Mohammad Khawaja, Trade Facilitation Officer Salamabad, Shoukat Ahmad Rather, Regional Passport Officer, Firdous Iqbal, Sub-district Magistrate Uri, Abdul Aziz and Station House Officer Uri and Director General trans-LoC Trade, Retired Brigadier Mohammad Ismael Khan, Deputy Commissioner Muzaffarabad, Bashir Ahmad Mughal and SP Muzaffarabad.
The Trade Facilitation Officer Salamabad, Shoukat Ahmad Rather told Excelsior that no decision to resume the trade was taken in the meeting. “But we are hopeful that the issue will be resolved soon”, he added.
Rather said that Pakistan raised the issue of sharing the findings of the Police investigations of the seizure of narcotics. “We told them that it would be shared at diplomatic level through Ministry of External Affairs”, he added.
The TFO said that Pakistani authorities want that the investigation process be expedited so as to end the standoff arisen out of the arrest of the PoK driver. “We told the PoK authorities that the investigation process is on, once it is completed challan will be produced before the court”, he added.
The bus services were suspended following arrest of a PoK driver, Mohammad Shafiq Awan son of Abdul Aziz Awan of Shard, Muzaffarabad, on January 17 by police in Salamabad, Uri and seizure of his truck from which around 114 kilogramme of Brown Sugar was recovered.
Pakistan suspended bus service on January 20 and January 27 between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad and Poonch and Rawalakote leading to stranding of dozens of trans-LoC passengers.
The suspension of the bus service led to over-staying of 36 Pakistani nationals in Jammu and Kashmir and 28 Indian nationals in PoK. Eighty four PoK residents are staying with their relatives in the State and 53 Indian nationals are staying in PoK with their relatives.
With the arrest of the PoK driver by Police in Uri, Pakistan in retaliation detained 27 truck drivers and their trucks at Chakoti Trade Facilitation Centre and refused to accept 48 PoK trucks and their drivers. They are demanding release of the arrested truck driver and seized truck.
Follow our WhatsApp channel