Srinagar

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 despite restrictions and shutdown on Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL)  call against Pulwama killings.

The bus left Bemina, Srinagar with eight passengers, including four residents of Kashmir and four PaK returnees for Kaman post the last Indian post on this side of LOC, sources said.

They said the bus has since reached Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC), Salamabad, Uri where more passengers will board it before leaving for Aman Post, the last Indian military post on this side of the LoC in Uri.

The exact number of passengers travelling to Pak will be known only in the afternoon they added.

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 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.

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