Monday, April 11 2005 20:43 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Srinagar: Notwithstanding militant threats, the enthusiasm among the people of Jammu and Kashmir to visit their kin in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) has not died down with a list of 119 prospective passengers for the next bus between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad being handed over to Pakistani authorities for clearance.

"The second bus between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, will run on April 21 and the approved list of 30 passengers travelling on the either side of the Line of Control, (LoC) would be exchanged a week ahead," regional passport officer John Shilshi said today (Apr 11, 2005).

He said that applications of 119 persons willing to visit their relatives in PoK were handed over to Pakistani authorities, who in turn provided a list of 50 persons on Friday last (Apr 8, 2005).

Thirty passengers each would be short listed from the two sides, as per the agreement, the officer said.

All the applications are under process and those cleared by the authorities would be handed over to the Pakistani authorities, Shilshi said that without divulging the exact date of the proposed meeting for exchanging the lists.

Named as karwan-e-aman (Caravan of peace), the historic bus service between the two parts of Kashmir was kicked off on April 7 with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flagging off the first bus from Srinagar.

As many as 650 permit forms have been distributed by the authorities in March after India and Pakistan agreed to run the bus service.