Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 22: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) directed the Regional Passport Officer Srinagar to allow residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), who are stranded in flood-hit Kashmir, to return to their homes via Poonch-Rawalakote route in Jammu region.
Regional Passport Officer Srinagar Firdous Iqbal told Excelsior that around 60 PoK residents are over staying in Kashmir due to floods. He said some of them approached the passport office for their return journey but lack of communication is hampering their return.
Iqbal said that Ministry of External Affairs has approved return of PoK residents who had arrived through Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route to return from the other route.
“It is an unprecedented situation and they need not to worry and we will extend the permit of those who have overstayed due to floods”, the RPO said.
The families of the PoK residents overstaying in Kashmir are worried about their safety due to lack of communication. However, all the PoK residents are safe.
Karavan-e-Aman (Peace Caravan) bus service on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad was scheduled to run on September 8 but failed to operate due to floods since then.
The historic bus service was started in April 7, 2005 as a confidence building measure between India and Pakistan and runs weekly on every Monday.
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