Poonch-Rawalakot cross-LoC bus service likely to resume

The cross-LoC bus service on the Poonch-Rawalakot road between J&K and PoK, is likely to resume from tomorrow after remaining suspended for the past 17 weeks, an official said today.
The bus service was suspended on July 10 due to heavy firing and shelling from the Pakistani side. No bus has crossed the Line of Control (LoC) from Chakan-da-bagh since then.
"Since both sides decided to resume the travel and trade at a meeting near the LoC on Friday, we are hopeful of resumption of the weekly cross-LoC bus service as per schedule tomorrow," custodian of LoC trade (Poonch), Mohammad Tanveer told PTI.

Senior civil officials from Poonch and Pakistan occupied Kashmir(PoK) held a meeting at the crossing point on Friday and reached a consensus to resume the suspended bus service and trade between the two sides.
The bus service was started along the Srinagar- Muzaffarabad road in April 2005 and the Poonch-Rawalakot route on June 20, 2006 to facilitate easier trade and travel between the divided families of Jammu and Kashmir and PoK.
The trade between the two parts of Kashmir started in October 2008 on barter system.

After suspension of the bus service in July, the chances of resumption brightened on August 24 when senior Army commanders of India and Pakistan held a flag meeting at Chaka-da-bagh and agreed to keep the channels of communication open between local commanders along the LoC.

However, the scheduled meeting between the civilian officials on August 28 prior to the resumption of bus service could not take place as the other side did not turn up in view of fresh cross-border shelling.
"If everything goes well and the bus service resumes tomorrow, the suspended trade is also expected to resume on Tuesday," the official said, adding it all depends on the situation along the LoC.
As many as 119 passengers from both sides were left stranded in Poonch and PoK after the suspension of the bus service, leading to protests by guests from across the border on several occasions in support of their demand for early return to their homes.

Till August 1, there were 285 such violations by the Pakistan Army while in 2016, the number was significantly less at 228 for the entire year, according to the Army figures.
Eleven people, including nine soldiers, were killed and 18 injured in ceasefire violations by the Pakistan Army in July, according to the Army data.
There were as many as 83 ceasefire violations, one BAT (border action team) attack and two infiltration bids from the Pakistani side in June in which four people, including three jawans, were killed and 12 injured.