Kashmiris defy bombs to take local route
The India-Pakistan peace process boards the bus this Thursday.
A home-made bomb was detonated on Tuesday on the route of a
historic bus service between Indian and Pakistani Kashmir two days before its scheduled reopening, reports
Reuters. Seven people were wounded.
It is believed Islamic militants, who have been fighting Indian security forces in the Kashmir valley since 1989, were behind the act.
They have repeatedly threatened to "sabotage the service and kill passengers, saying the transport link served India's aim to hold on to Kashmir," reports
Reuters.
The road, known as
the Uri Road, has been closed for over 57 years, ever since the division of Kashmir that followed the partition of the subcontinent between Pakistan and India in 1947.
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TOM BROWN - STAFF
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Since the partition India and Pakistan have fought three wars over Kashmir.
Normalized bus service signals a "warming trend between Delhi and Islamabad," reports the
Christian Science Monitor.
There are thousands of Kashmiris divided on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC). They have been the ones most affected by the military rivalry between the two countries.
They overwhelmingly welcome the bus service after years separation due to violence in the Himalyan land, reports the
Monitor.
Militant Islamic groups have told any passengers that the bus could become their "coffin," making the Indian side of the route most likely to get attacked.
Passengers due to take the first bus on Thursday have been moved to "a high-security zone, behind machinegun nests and razor wire," reports the Calcutta daily,
The Telegraph.
Only 29 people from India have been given seats on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus... police refuse to admit that the pooling together of passengers was triggered by militant threats to target them.
'These passengers have to receive travel instructions. They have to undergo medical check-ups and be briefed about immigration formalities. It is not that they could go from their homes on April 7 and board the bus as if they are going for a picnic. Yes, security of the passengers is our concern, but building an impression that the passengers were shifted solely for security reasons is misplaced,' said inspector-general Javaid Mukhdoomi.
Pakistan says that the
threats to the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service were "uncalled for" as only "genuine Kashmiris" would be traveling on the inaugural run on April 7, reports The
Hindu.
'We see the Kashmir bus service as a significant confidence-building measure, specific to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and a measure to alleviate the sufferings of the Kashmiris," said [Pakistan] Foreign Office spokesman, Jalil Abbas Jilani.
Responding to questions about the threats by certain organizations to the bus service, he maintained that there was no threat to the bus service, within the territory of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), which he described as one of the 'most peaceful areas, with a very low crime rate.'
Just physically maintaining the road will be extremely difficult, says the
Monitor.
The route itself has been cut into the steep sides of avalanche-prone glacial valleys and follows the Jehlum River that flows through the valley from Muzaffarabad to Srinagar.
Portions of the route closest to the Line of Control need major repairs and are surrounded by land mines. Officials say strict security measures will be adopted, and repairs and demining will begin soon to ensure that vulnerable stretches are safe before the first ride on April 7.
Also...
•
Bill to prohibit sale of F-16s to Pakistan (
The Hindu)
•
United Nations Resolutions on Kashmir (
Blog reference to United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan)
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