30 people to travel on inaugural bus to Srinagar
Thirty people, including two former Judges of the PoK and Lahore High Courts, will be travelling by the inaugural bus from Muzaffarabad to Srinagar on April 7.
The authorities have finalised 30 names of the 40 verified by India to travel on the inaugural bus to Srinagar, officials said. Former Pakistan-occupied Kashmir High Court Judge Sadeeq Farooqi, and former Lahore High Court Justice Syed Sharif Hussain Bukhari, will be among those travelling in the bus.
Meanwhile, members of the divided Kashmiri families in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) were eagerly waiting for their turn to travel by the bus despite militant group’s threats to attack it.
One of those eagerly waiting for the bus to begin its first run was 74-year-old Abdul Rashid Butt, who claimed that he “accidentally” came to PoK 58 years by the last bus from Srinagar.
Related Travel Information
Pakistan Information Minister Sheikh Rashid today denied media reports that he has altered his plans to travel to Jammu and Kashmir by the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service.
Reports in the Pakistan media that I am planning to go to Srinagar via New Delhi are wrong, Rashid told PTI.
He said he would travel by the Muzafarabad-Srinagar bus service on June 30.
Media reports here said that Rashid altered his plans in response to criticism from some politicians here that he was committing a "sin" by crossing the LoC to travel to Srinagar.
Rashid also said that contrary to earlier reports he would travel by
61 passengers travel in second LoC bus
Defying militants' threat, 61 passengers today travelled by the second Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus amidst tight security all along the route.
The bus from Srinagar left this morning without much fanfare as compared to the inaugural service on April seven, with even the venue of its departure being kept a closely-guarded secret by authorities.
While 36 passengers, including 11 Pak residents who had come on the inaugural bus, travelled from Srinagar to Kaman Post, the last territory on the Indian side of LoC, 25 people, including 14 Kashmiris, who had gone to Muzaffarabad in the first bus, travelled
Srinagar, June 28: In winter this year, Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed and the Tourism Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir were in London to motivate the British government and many other European nations to remove adverse advisories about travelling to Kashmir. The presumption was that ‘normalcy’ has returned to the Valley and ‘acts of violence were aberrations.’ The PDP president Mehbooba Mufti urged McDonald’s—her favourite—to open its outlet here.
Senior officials of the Tourism Department also visited Madrid, London, Paris and Rome and lobbied for the removal of travel advisories.
The visits have so far neither brought McDonalds to Kashmir nor
PM to persuade Pak to let politicians travel in bus
Soon after his return from a successful visit to Mauritius, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said his government would persuade Pakistan to allow political leaders to board the inaugural journey of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service.
The historic bus service would unite divided families across the border after more than half a century.
Pakistan has not allowed several leaders of Jammu and Kashmir, including president of the state's ruling People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti and main opposition party, National Conference, leader Omar Abdullah, who wanted to board the inaugural bus on April 7.
‘‘Our
The government has said that it has not yet received the travel application of Pakistan Information Minister Sheikh Rashid for travelling on June 30 by the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus.
"As far as I know, till now, no such application has been received," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters.
Asked whether he would be allowed to come, the spokesman repeated that no application has been received from the Pakistani minister.
Pakistan has said it would forward his name for permission to travel by the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus.
More: thepakistaninewspaper.com
