SRINAGAR: Despite strike called by separatists against Shopian killings, the Karvan-e-Aman bus, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), left here on Monday to cross over to other side of the Line of Control (LoC).
The weekly bus left Bemina area of Srinagar this morning with 17 passengers, official sources told UNI.
It has reached Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC), where more passengers will board it before proceedings towards Kaman post, the last Indian military post on this side of the LoC in Uri sector in north Kashmir district of Baramulla, the sources said.
The exact number of passengers crossing over to other side will be known in the afternoon.
Similarly, number of those travelling from PoK will be known in the evening.
The cross-LoC bus, introduced despite opposition by militants on April 7, 2005 has helped thousands of families, divided due to partition in 1947, to travel on " Travel Permits" instead of International passport to meet each other.
However, only state subjects from both sides of LoC are eligible provided their names are cleared by the intelligence agencies from both the sides.
Barring Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Shabir Ahmad Shah, majority separatists leaders, including Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq and Mohammad Yaseen Malik have travelled in the bus.