SRINAGAR: The cross Line of Control (LoC) Karvan-e-Aman bus service, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) was suspended today in view of Independence Day celebrations on August 15, official sources said.
The bus service was suspended after authorities on both sides of the LoC agreed for it, they said, adding the suspension of the service has nothing to do with tension due to the Kishtwar incident. Sources said the weekly bus service will resume on August 19.
This is for the third time that the cross LoC bus run was suspended during 2013. Earlier, the bus service was suspended on January 21 due to heavy snowfall on the other side of the border, while on July 8 there were landslides on the PoK side. Last week a highest number of 61 PoK guests arrived here to celebrate Eid with their relatives, separated in 1947. However, no Kashmiri crossed over to the other side.
In 2013, 565 PoK residents had arrived here while only 183 had crossed to other side of the LoC till August 5.
The bus service has helped thousands of divided families to meet each other since April 7,2005 when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flagged-off the first bus from here despite militant’s threat
