SRINAGAR : Despite fidayeen attack on the Army Brigade Headquarters in Uri sector, the Karvan-e-Aman bus, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), resumed today after remaining suspended last week in view of the Eid-ul-Azha.
Official sources said 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 20 soldiers were killed and over 25 others injured in a fidayeen attack on the Army headquarters early yesterday.
Four Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militants, believed to be foreigners, were also killed in the encounter. There were just two passengers in the bus when it left Srinagar at about 0530 hrs.
Barring July 11 and 18, the bus service continued despite unrest in the Kashmir valley where 83 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, while on July 4 and September 12 in view of Eid festivals. During the unrest, the bus from Srinagar to Kaman post left early in the morning to avoid stone pelting during the day.
Similarly, people coming from PoK 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. (AGENCIES)
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