SRINAGAR : The weekly Karvan-e-Aman bus, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), left here for Uri in North Kashmir on Monday morning, official sources said.
They said braving chilly weather after the mercury dipped to minus 3.7 degree Celsius, coldest so far, the peace bus left Bemina in Srinagar for Kaman Post, the last Indian military post on this side on the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector.
The bus carrying 21 Kashmiris, including eight women and five children besides a PoK returnee, has since reached Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC), Uri, where more passengers could board to cross over to other side of the LoC. The exact number of passengers crossing to other side and coming from PoK will be known in the afternoon, sources said.
However, they said, this is highest number of Kashmiris visiting PoK to meet their relatives, separated in 1947 due to partition, in recent months.
They said in the winter visitors from Kashmir increase but guests from PoK comes down as mercury remains below freezing point. Similarly, visitors from PoK increases during summer when weather remains pleasant in Kashmir.
The inter cross-LoC bus service was one of the major Confidence Building (CBM) taken by India and Pakistan after both the countries agreed for a ceasefire on LoC and International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir in 2003.
The bus has since helped thousands of divided families to meet each other. However, only state subjects from both the sides, are eligible to travel in the bus after their names are cleared by intelligence agencies from both sides. (AGENCIES)
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