MUZAFFARABAD: Even as authorities across the Line of Control are preparing for the resumption of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, a truckers association in Muzaffarabad threatened to disrupt the bus service until their 49 colleagues, stuck on this side of LoC are allowed to return home along with their vehicles.
Members of the Jhelum Valley Goods Transport Union held a protest sit-in outside the Chinari Press Club on Friday.
The announcement regarding resumption of bus service amounts to rubbing salt in the wounds of 76 truck drivers and their relatives, the protesters said referring to the 49 truckers from Pakistani side and 27 from Indian side of Kashmir that are stuck on the wrong sides of de-facto border since Jan 17 after Indian authorities claimed seizure of 114 kg brown sugar from a truck.
The protestors demanded if India could pressurise Pakistan into resuming the bus service for the sake of its 99 stranded passengers, why couldnt the AJK government demand return of its 49 drivers.
Meanwhile, members of LoC Trade Union have met Director General Travel and Trade Authority retired Brig Mohammad Ismail and asked him to convey to the Foreign Office of Pakistan that intra-Kashmir trade should not recommence until the accused driver was returned from India.
Families protest in Baramulla
Family members of Kashmiri drivers stuck in Pakistani controlled Kashmir staged a protest outside Deputy Commissioner Office Baramulla on Saturday demanding the release of the 27 drivers.
The families assembled outside DC office urged upon authorities to ensure the release of their relatives. The children of these detained drivers, who were among the protestors, appealed to the government to take initiative in this regard without any delay.
India should put an end to this standoff and it should also release the PaK driver so that the PaK authorities would reciprocate positively, one of the protestors said.
Another woman protestor Razia Bano said that her husband who has been detained in PaK, is not keeping well and he needs regular medicines. We are worried about this health and safety and want his return at the earliest, she said.
Last month, Authorities in PaK detained 27 Kashmiri drivers and their trucks carrying goods from this side to demand release of their truck driver detained by Kashmir police for allegedly carrying narcotics worth Rs 100 crore.
Police had detained driver of the truck Muhammad Shafiq, son of Abdul Aziz Sarar of Muzaffarabad, who was carrying dry fruits marketed by Al-Fajar Trading Company based in Muzaffarabad.
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