India removes mines from Kashmir before first bus
SRINAGAR, India, Sunday (Reuters) -
Indian army experts began removing landmines from Kashmir near the
disputed border with Pakistan, ahead of next month's first bus service
linking the two parts of the Himalayan territory.
India and Pakistan last month breathed new life to a
year-old peace process by agreeing to the bus service, prompting
celebrations in the troubled region. The nuclear rivals, who went to the
brink of war in 2002, both claim Kashmir.
Kashmiris are lining up in hundreds for travel permits
to ride on the cross-border bus for the first time since the highway was
severed after the two countries went to war over the scenic and
mountainous territory in 1947-48.
Indian military authorities said they would be able to
clear the mines before the start of the bus service on April 7 between
Srinagar, summer capital of Indian Kashmir, and Muzaffarabad on the
Pakistani side. Ahead of the bus service on the 170-km (106 miles)
Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road, Indian engineers also started repairing an
old bridge which was blown up during the war. |
