PoK bus (June 21, 2006)

Emotional moments mark
flagging-off of bus to Rawalkot
S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

Poonch, June 20
It was an emotional moment for Farida Begum as Rawalkot-bound bus, she boarded, started its journey from here this afternoon after being flagged off by UPA Chairperson Ms Sonia Gandhi.

She had reasons to get emotional as she was undertaking the journey to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) for first time to meet her parents and relatives from whom she was separated 41 years ago in 1965.

Incidentally, bus service from both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) has been inaugurated on World Refugees Day.

Farida Begum said she never expected that road would reopen in view of bitter relations between India and Pakistan.

Other passengers also described the bus service as a dream come true. Most of the divided families are living in border districts of Poonch and Rajouri.

Passengers of the bus from PoK arrived before the bus from here was flagged off. They were taken into the immigration office at Chakan-da-Bagh on the LoC for clearance of documents.

The passengers from this side were greeted by Mrs Gandhi and presented with roses and souvenirs before they boarded the bus for Rawalkot in PoK. Those, who arrived from PoK were surprised to see Mrs Gandhi receiving them with warmth.

Chakan-da-Bagh that was notorious for infiltration of terrorists from Pakistan now has become a symbol of bolstering people-to-people contact between India and Pakistan.

Amirullah Khan and his wife Naseem Akhtar, who boarded the bus for Rawalkot, said that they would propagate the message of love and end of bloodshed in the state.

They said they would meet their relatives in Mirpur, Rawalkot and Muzaffarabad and stress for the end of the gun culture.

Zaheer Bhatti and his wife Shakeela said the bus service was a dream come true for them. Bhatti said he himself was a victim of terrorism as his mother Saifa Begum was killed by militants in his house at Rajouri in 2004.

Abdul Majeed said that he was travelling to PoK for the second time. Earlier, he travelled to PoK via the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route.

The Wagah-type gates on both sides of LoC were opened as the passengers reached there.

The entire area around Chakan-da-Bagh, which was mined by troops to prevent infiltration of terrorists, was de-mined by Army engineers to pave the way for the construction of 10 km road from Poonch town and other facilities for the passengers on LoC.