The Bus that will regularly (I hope) make the trip between the Indian an Pakistani controlled parts of Kashmir got its roll on Thursday, despite the brave passengers being attacked by terrorists in their guest house on Wednesday. The Independent reports:
Passengers on a historic bus trip between the Pakistani and Indian portions of Kashmir crossed a bridge spanning the de facto border on Thursday, the halfway point on a voyage both sides hope will lead to lasting peace on the subcontinent.
Family members kept apart during more than a half-century of bloodshed waited anxiously to receive their loved ones, while Indian officials offered the visitors from the Pakistani Kashmiri capital of Muzaffarabad marigold garlands and bouquets of flowers. One passenger waved a victory sign.
Two buses from Srinagar, the capital of Indian Kashmir, were expected to arrive later at the heavily militarized Line of Control, where a 220-foot long bridge closed since the 1940s connects a winding and rutted road through the Himalayas.
The bus service started a day after an attack in Srinagar by suspected Islamic militants on a guesthouse where passengers were staying. Six people were injured but the passengers escaped unharmed. Both sides vowed not to let militants disrupt the occasion.
I must say that I really admire the courage of those passengers. You’d find it difficult to get me onto a bus moving through ambush-able territory knowing that every militant for hundreds of miles around would be gunning for me. I know security was tight, but still. In a way, the “elderly” passengers riding this bus reminded me of Rosa Parks daring the MAN to do his worst. ABC News reports:
Nineteen Indian Kashmiris, mostly elderly, defied separatist threats and crossed the metal bridge — painted neutral white for the occasion — hours after 31 Pakistanis walked into India to reunite divided families. “I can’t control my emotion. I am setting foot in my motherland,” said a tearful Shahid Bahar, a lawyer from the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, Muzaffarabad. “I am coming here for the first time to meet my blood relations,” said Bahar, whose father crossed over in 1949. “It was my dream. It is unbelievable. Everyone is here.” On both sides, they were hugged and kissed by relatives they had not held for decades, or in some cases, ever. “It’s for the first time that I have seen my uncle,” sobbed Noreen Arif, an adviser to Pakistani Kashmir’s prime minister, hugging him tearfully as he stepped off the bridge.
I wonder why no one is talking about the Vajpayee initiated bus from Delhi to Lahore? That was the first step towards peace as I recall.
Sonia and PM are simply flagging off the bus. It would have been commendable if they actully boarded the bus and went to Pakistan. (as Vajpayee did).
Abhi,
The passengers maybe brave, but they aren’t stupid. The militants issued a threat about the travel two weeks ago, long after all the passengers had booked their tickets for the travel. There have been reports since then that the passengers who had reserved their tickets were forced to travel by the government because it did not want the bus to run empty. So who knows, maybe the passengers are scared.
I’d hold off on distributing sweets just yet. As hammer_sickle noted, we’ve been here before, with the Delhi-Lahore bus. Of course, that same year we had Kargil.
Secondly, some of the nitty-gritty of bus operations should give Indians pause. By not requiring Kashmiris to use passports, India is on the way to conceding Kashmir is not a state within India. So, if a Sikh in Amritsar wishes to go to Lahore to visit some of the old Sikh sites, he must secure a visa, while a Kashmiri faces no such requirement.
Furthermore, bus tickets must be purchased with American dollars, not Indian rupees, further distancing Kashmiris from the rest of India.
In the past, I’ve been among the most vociferous in saying that Kashmir is a part of India, and India should extend every political olive branch to disgruntled Kashmiris. But given this latest batch of sops to them (Kashmir is already among the largest recipients of federal gov’t spending per capita), I’m beginning to wonder if India wouldn’t be better off just getting rid of it.
A) Even if the militants didn’t issue threats until it was too late to back out, you’d have to be brain dead not to expect an attack anyways
B) I doubt the government FORCED anyone to travel. I can’t believe that.
KXB,
I dont understand what you mean by “getting rid of it”. Even as a rhetorical statement, it makes little sense to me.
India can EASILY afford the federal spending towards Kashmir. Its a strategic issue, and India finds itself in the Kashmir quagmire precisely because of thoughts like what you have expressed. The territorial integrity of any nation is FAR more precious than anything else.
Regarding this bus service in particular: i agree that this is not a conclusive peace measure but this is a very good start. You cant really compare the Lahore/Delhi route to Srinagar/Muzzafarabad. And this time around, Mushy cannot afford to have another Kargil on his hands.
Buying the ticket in $ or traveling without a Visa, is not gonna separate Kashmir from India. These are just short-term measures to kickstart the process. Anyone entering Nepal or Bhutan doesnt need a Visa either. Kashmir has started on the journey of “normalization”, with the elections and all that jazz.
We need the people there to feel that government really gives a s**t about them. Folks there just want government to take be strong and protect them from militants.
Just my 2 cents.
Peace, Razdan
PS: Long time listener, first time caller 🙂
Bus is a good thing. Perhaps our Kashmiri brothers and sisters finally accept the LOC as a the border. They should also convince the militans and misguided amongst them that the time has come to join the Indian mainstream. That will have a big impact on the forces on the right (prick their perhaps legitimate Kashmir balloon) and also increase the security of Muslims in rest of India. And then ordinary folks on both sides of the border can enjoy the peace dividend.
All this sounds to be good to be true anytime soon. But hope it does.
You cant really compare the Lahore/Delhi route to Srinagar/Muzzafarabad. And why do you say that? I really hope that Smt. Sonia does not take away credit for this one… because the idea has been plagiarised from Sri Vajpayee.
And this time around, Mushy cannot afford to have another Kargil on his hands. Mushy cannot afford it (may be) but another ‘General’ can repeat what Mushy did for greed of power. Fingers crossed.
h_s,
I have tremendous regard for Vajpayee, but in my opinion Congress has a better chance of making peace with Pakistan. BJP, excluding Vajpayee and a few other seasoned statesmen, is way too right-wing for any serious negotiations with Pakistan. Congress on the other hand, is a much more homogeneous mix. And you know what, I dont mind Sonia being at the top of Congress food-chain, if that means stability in the ranks, and even an iota of betterment of relations with Pakistan.
A) Even if the militants didn’t issue threats until it was too late to back out, you’d have to be brain dead not to expect an attack anyways
B) I doubt the government FORCED anyone to travel. I can’t believe that.
I don’t know if the government actually forced anyone, but this report in rediff says that atleast some of the passenger’s were ‘safely’ kept in a police station before their travel. It is plausible that the local arm of the government could have pushed some of the passengers to go for it to avoid the embarassment a mass abstention would have caused.
Well, Pakistan was supporting this initiative. Why would anyone think that the terrorists would go against what Pakistan says? Maybe this is all a great game played by Pakistan to show the world that the terrorists are outside of Pakistani influence.
By not requiring Kashmiris to use passports, India is on the way to conceding Kashmir is not a state within India. So, if a Sikh in Amritsar wishes to go to Lahore to visit some of the old Sikh sites, he must secure a visa, while a Kashmiri faces no such requirement.
India’s argument is that PoK is part of India and nobody should need a visa to travel within the country. The claim is that any citizen of India can travel to PoK without a visa. That is just a claim anyway because Pakistan reserves the right to deny permits to anyone without citing a reason.
mulla reunion has brought tears to my eyes.. if this is not a repudiation of that two-nation theory, i don’t know what is. all that kafir-momin stuff is pure bunk. take out kafir and momin-momin reunion is possible.. v simple and elegant .. mera bharat mahaan
“I wonder why no one is talking about the Vajpayee initiated bus from Delhi to Lahore?”
Well… I think it takes more courage to do what these people did. And like someone mentioned, there’s a human side, similar to Rosa Parks who sat down because she was “tired”–these people rode the bus to “see their families.” Simple, basic aspects of living.
Anyhow, hasn’t it been confirmed that three people didn’t make the trip or rather, backed-out after buying tickets?
peace with the religion of peace should not be too difficult..
I thought India has always wanted to split along the LOC, as enunciated in the 1972 Simla Agreement?
PoK and Kashmir on the other hand, do not afford any such luxury. I thought, LoC is the most heavily guarded border anywhere in the world.
is way too right-wing for any serious negotiations with PakistanBJP started it. It could have been sustained and turned to a success had Mushy not mobilized LeT against India.
And yes, I too meant LeT and ISI coup of current pakistani govt (dictatorship).
“Congress on the other hand, is a much more homogeneous mix. And you know what, I dont mind Sonia being at the top of Congress food-chain, if that means stability in the ranks, and even an iota of betterment of relations with Pakistan.”
First off, you can’t have a “homogoneous mix” Anything mixed is heterogenous, by definition.
The idea that Sonia as head of Congress will lead to better relations with Pakistan is more an article of faith than a statement of clear, observable fact. Singh seems to set the policy agenda, while Gandhi handles the backroom squabbling and keeps the ruling coalition in line.
Whether there will be a lasting peace between the two is largely in Pakistani hands. Right now, as long as there is a degree of tensions between the two, the Pakistani army can continue to justify its rule over the country.