Wednesday, May 3 2006 09:54 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: A bus service between Poonch and Rawalakot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is likely to be launched next month while a truck service is expected to be started on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route in July.

This fresh set of confidence building measure was agreed on at a meeting of officials of India and Pakistan here yesterday (May 2, 2006), official sources said.

The two sides were finetuning modalities with regard to the two issues and exact timeframe is expected to be announced in a joint statement tomorrow at the conclusion of the two-day parleys, they said.

The Poonch-Rawalakot service will be the second cross-LoC bus link. The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route was opened in April last year, about 58 years after it was closed due to division of Jammu and Kashmir.

The bus services are aimed at enabling people of two parts of the divided state to meet their relatives and friends.

Modalities were also being worked out for setting up of meeting points at two places along the Line of Control (LoC) to enable people of either part of the divided Jammu and Kashmir to interact on designated days.

The Indian delegation is led by Dilip Sinha, Joint Secretary in the External Affairs Ministry, while Pakistani side is headed by Syed Ibne Abbas, Director General South Asia Division at the Foreign Ministry.