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Chidambaram’s remarks have people worried
Poonch-Rawalkote Bus Service
Tribune News Service

Poonch, January 18
Amid warnings by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram that Indiawill snap all ties with Pakistan if the latter failed to act against the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack, families divided during Partition hope that the Poonch-Rawalkote bus service will continue.

Mendhar and Poonch Haveli areas have the highest concentration of divided families with more than 60 per cent such families inhabiting in these areas, whose have relatives in the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Poonch-Rawalkote bus service was started by both countries to unite the divided families and is one of the biggest confidence building measures.

Chidambaram, in an interview with the London-based Times newspaper a few days ago, threatened severance of trade and transport links with Islamabad if the latter failed to act against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack. The divided families, which have applied for permits to travel through the Poonch-Rawlakote route, are panicked by Chidambaram’s statement and hope that the bus service will continue as usual.

Dayal Singh of the Jhallas area applied for a travel permit in February 2007 and was yet to get permission to travel to the PoK. Dayal Singh wanted to meet his paternal cousin Sheikh Mujeeb Rehmaan, who lives in the Office Colony of Tehsil Baag. His paternal aunt late Lachi Kaur had migrated to the PoK in 1947 after being separated from her family.

“I have applied for the travel permit for my family, including my wife, son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, on February 28 so that we could see my paternal cousin. My cousin, too, had applied for the permit, but neither of us got the permission. Before the Mumbai attack, we were hoping that we would be able to go across border and meet our relatives there. But now that relations between the two countries has turned sour and after Chidambaram’s statement that India will snap all ties with Pakistan, we doubt the future of the bus service”, says Dayal Singh.

“We hope that the bus service that unites the divided families should not fall a victim to the souring relations between India andPakistan. We also pray that the Indo-Pakistan relations race back to normalcy and Pakistan acts against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack.”

Deputy Commissioner, Poonch, Muhammad Afzal told The Tribune that at present the Poonch-Rawalkote bus service was continuing normally and people were travelling on the route.