NEWS

2nd Srinagar-Muzaffarabad leaves for LoC

By Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar
April 21, 2005

The second Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus left for the Kaman Post at the Line of Control on Thursday, amidst high security and secrecy.

The bus started from Srinagar carrying 19 passengers and without the hype and media coverage given to the inaugural service flagged off by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on April 7, official sources said in Srinagar.

Of the 19 passengers, 11 are residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir who had come on the inaugural bus to Srinagar. Nine persons hailing from Baramullah district are to board the bus at Salamabad.

A decoy convoy preceded the original bus from Srinagar, a senior police officer, requesting anonymity, said.

He said Jammu and Kashmir Director-General of Police Gopal Sharma had supervised the security arrangements for the bus, which left from the highest security zone near the Raj Bhawan.

The passengers were lodged overnight at the Nehru Guest House at Cheshmashahi in the high security zone of the city following militant threat to target the bus.

Four militant outfits - Al-Nasireen, Al-Arifeen, Save Kashmir movement and Khidam-ul-Millat - are opposed to the bus service and had warned passengers not to travel by the bus.

With PTI inputs

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

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