Monday, April 4 2005 15:45 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: Britain today (Apr 4, 2005) hoped that the terrorist outfits threatening to disrupt the Srinagar Muzaffarabad bus service would not carry it out and said that the bus service was a "crucial" step in improving people-to-people relations between the two nations.

"We very much hope the terrorists will not seek to disrupt the bus service. It will be a complete mistake," British High Commissioner to India Sir Michael Arthur said in Bangalore on the sidelines of the Indo-UK workshop on stem cell research.

"We strongly support the steps that India and Pakistan Governments have taken to open up their links between the people. Because people to people links crossing Pakistan, particularly Kashmir, are crucial for peace steps to progress," he said.

He said that Britain particularly condemned terrorism, from wherever it comes.

"I can't think anything like that to win the hearts of people of Kashmir, than to attack a bus, which is a peaceful mission between the people on the two sides of the border," Arthur said.