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| 29 guests arrive from PoK, 3 Kashmiris cross to other side | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
SRINAGAR, June 10: The movement of divided families and their relatives across the border from both sides which was seen waning lately for a couple of reasons got some fillip today when as many as 29 guests arrived from Pak Occupied Kashmir through Uri- Muzaffarabad route.
However, the huge number was not even remotely akin to the number of passengers who travelled from this side of the border through this route to other side of Kashmir. Only three Kashmiri passengers crossed over today in the Karvan-e-Aman bus meant for the passengers travelling through this route.
Officials confirmed that 29 guests, highest during this year, arrived here today from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), while only three Kashmiris crossed over to the neighbouring country in the Karvan-e-Aman bus.
Official sources said that 12 returnees also went back to their homes. They said 29 guests from the PoK, including 10 women and as many children, arrived at Kaman post, the last Indian military post near the LoC in Uri sector, after crossing the Aman Setu bridge on foot this afternoon.
This was the highest number of PoK guests in 2010. Earlier, the highest number was registered on May 27 when 16 residents of the other side arrived here.
However, on three occasions -- January 7, 21 and March 11 -- not a single guest from PoK crossed over to this side. The bus service was postponed twice on February 11 and 18 when the road on the other side of the LoC was blocked due to landslides.
The sources said five residents of this side, including two women, who had crossed over to PoK, also returned today.
Three residents of this side also crossed over to other side of the LoC to meet their relatives. They included a woman also.
The highest number of people from here who crossed to other side was 16 on January 7. However, the bus service operated without any guest from this side five times since January this year.
Seven residents of PoK, who had come here, also returned to their homes after their stay with their relatives here.
The bus service, which was flagged off by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on April 7, 2005, helped thousands of families divided in 1947 to meet each other. However, the travel for a number of reasons has run into rough weather, on account of which the buses have been carrying very few passengers, which is in contrast to the euphoria seen during initial years.
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