Karvan-e-Aman bus leaves for Kaman Post to cross over to PaK

Srinagar, Jan 07: Karvan-e-Aman bus, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-administered-Kashmir (Pak) left here on Monday to cross over to another side of the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector in north Kashmir district of Baramulla, official sources said.

The bus left Bemina, Srinagar with five passengers including 1 fresh and four returnees for Kaman post, the last Indian military post on this side of the LoC in Uri. The bus has since reached tourist reception center TRC, Salamabad, Uri, they said.

The number of returnees and PaK guests will also be known in the evening, they said.

The bus service, a major Confidence Building Measure (CBM) between India and Pakistan after the 1999 Kargil War, continued despite the summer uprising of 2016 and tension on the LoC, due to ceasefire violation.

The cross-LoC bus service which started on April 7, 2005, has helped thousands of families to meet each other after India and Pakistan agreed to allow travel of state subjects from both sides on travel permits, instead of the international passport.

The travel permit is issued to the state subject from both sides of the LoC, only after their names are cleared by the intelligence agencies from India and Pakistan. However, only state subjects from both sides can avail the cross-LoC bus facility.