SRINAGAR: The bus service between Srinagar & Muzaffarbad, capitals of two parts of Kashmir controlled by India and Pakistan resumed on Monday after remaining suspended for two weeks following a deadlock over the arrest of a driver from Pakistani side on drug trafficking charges.
The bus from Indian side, carrying 28 passengers reached Kaman Post — the zero point on Line of Control, a de facto border between two countries — shortly before noon, officials said.
They said the passengers including 10 residents from Pakistani side, who returned home after visiting their relatives on the Indian side, and 18 from this side headed for their relatives homes on the other side of the divide.
The Pakistani authorities suspended both travel and trade on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road after 110 packets of narcotics worth Rs. 100 crore were recovered from a truck coming from across the LoC on January 17. The driver of the vehicle was arrested.
The Pak authorities in retaliation detained 27 Indian drivers and their trucks demanding release of the arrested driver. They also refused to take back 48 other Pakistani drivers till their demand was met.
The officials from two sides held several meetings to break the deadlock and during the latest round of talks on January 30 decided to resume the Bus service.
However a truckers’ association in Pakistani side has threatened to disrupt the bus service till all drivers return from the Indian side.
The Jhelum Valley Goods Transport Union held a sit-in outside the Muzaffarabad press club on Sunday, a day after officials of the two countries met at Kaman Post to resolve the stand-off arising from the arrest of a Pakistani driver on charges of smuggling narcotics.
The trade union threatened to disrupt the bus service till over 40 drivers from the Pakistani side return from Srinagar.
Hectic diplomatic parleys are on between the two countries to resolve the trade standoff.
The SrinagarMuzaffarabad Bus is a passenger bus service connecting Srinagar, the capital of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir with Muzaffarabad, the capital of the Pakistan-administered territory of Azad Kashmir across the Line of Controlthe boundary line denoting rival areas of control in the disputed region of Kashmir, but which is not an official international border.
The bus is of symbolic importance to the efforts of the two nations’ governments to foster peaceful and friendly relations and follows the success of the DelhiLahore Bus, which was launched in 1999.
The idea of the SrinagarMuzaffarabad Bus was inspired by the success of the DelhiLahore Bus, established in 1999, as well as other cross-border transport initiatives such as the Samjhauta Express and the Thar Express. However, the proposal was not considered until after the normalisation of bilateral relations following the 20012002 IndiaPakistan standoff, during which the DelhiLahore Bus had also been suspended.
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