After remaining suspended for three consecutive weeks, the weekly ‘Karvan-e-Aman’ (peace bus service) between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar resumed on Monday.Regional Passport Officer (RPO) Firdous Iqbal told KNS that three buses, carrying 63 returnees and 10 Kashmiri residents, have reached Salamabad, Uri from Srinagar.“Besides 73 from Srinagar-Muzaffarabad, 19 fresh passengers travelled from Muzaffarabad-Srinagar,” he said.Sources informed KNS that the bus service was suspended on July 4 in view of the Eid-ul-Fitr.
They said that after that the bus services could not operate on July 11 and July 18 due to ongoing cycle of violence in Kashmir following the killing of Hizb commander, Burhan Muzaffar Wani and two other militants in Bumdoora village of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district on July 8.“Three buses carrying 63 PaK and ten Kashmiri residents left State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) yard Bemina while 19 fresh travellers left from Muzaffarabad-Srinagar, Sources said the 63 PaK residents who reached Valley before Eid-ul-Fitr could not return to their homes because of suspension of the bus service.The peace bus service was started in 2005 to facilitate reunion of divided families. (KNS)