Srinagar: Despite heightened tension between India and Pakistan after Uri fidayeen attack that left 18 soldiers dead and as many injured, the Karvan-e-Aman bus operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK) continued.
Official sources told UNI that the weekly bus left Srinagar early this morning for Kaman post, the last Indian military post on this side of the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector, where fidayeen attacked Army Brigade headquarters on September 18 . Four Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militants, believed to be foreigners, were also killed in the encounter. The bus has since reached Uri at around 0800 hrs safely.
Barring July 11 and 18, the bus service continued despite unrest in the Kashmir valley where 84 people were killed and over 9,000 others injured in security force and police action, since July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) commander Burhan Wani and two other militants were killed in an encounter in Anantnag, evoking massive protest.
The bus service on these days was suspended owing to strike by separatists for security reasins, while on July 4 and September 12 in view of Eid festivals.
During the unrest, the bus from Srinagar to Kaman post is leaving Srinagar early in the morning to avoid stone pelting during the day.
Similarly, people coming from PaK had to wait at Uri before starting journey towards their respective destinations late in the night to avoid stone pelting.
The bus service, introduced on April 7, 2005, has helped thousands of families divided due to partition in 1947 to meet each other after India and Pakistan agreed to allow travel of state subjects from both sides on travel permits instead of international passport.
However, people are allowed to travel only after their names are cleared from intelligence agencies from both sides.
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