Families divided due to partition in 1947 continue to suffer due to suspension of weekly Karvan-e-Aman bus, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), since March 4 this year.

Meanwhile, the Cross-Line of Control (LoC) trade between two divided parts of the Jammu and Kashmir also remained suspended since March 4 after intelligence reports it was being used for terror funding.

Divided families, living on both sides of the LoC, continueto suffer as bus service could not be restored because of prevailing situationon the LoC and International Border (IB), where Pakistani troops have beenviolating 2003 ceasefire more frequently, targeting forward posts and civilianareas.

Official sources told on Monday that bus remained suspendedsince March 4, badly affecting divided families who wanted to visit each other.

There is no word from POK side to resume the cross-LoC bus service,they said adding the service was suspended on March 4 when a message wasreceived from across the LoC that Aman setu bridge needs some repair from POKside. Later, no message was received to resume the service, they said.

The bus was introduced on April 7, 2005 when India andPakistan decided to allow travel of divided state subject families on “ routepermits” instead of International Passports. However, route permit was beingissued to a person only after his or her name was being cleared by theintelligence agencies from both sides.

Despite opposition by militant organizations, almost allseparatist leaders barring hardline Hurriyat Conference (HC) chairman Syed AliShah Geelani, presently under house arrest and Democratic Freedom Party (DFP)chief Shabir Shah travelled in the bus to POK and Pakistan. Shah is underdetention in Delhi’s Tihar jail for the past two years after his arrest byEnforcement Directorate.

Earlier, before introducing the bus, the residents fromJammu and Kashmir were visiting their relatives in POK via Delhi or Wagahborder on International passport only. Meanwhile, the cross-LoC trade alsoremained suspended following order by Home Ministry that it was being used forterror funding. Over a dozen cross-LoC traders in Kashmir were grilled by theNational Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with terror funding.