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Buses cross over: India, Pak
remove 58-year road block
What is India News Service,
Thursday, 7 April 2005, 1800 hrs IST
Passengers of the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus crossed into Indian territory,
marking an epoch-making
moment in the Indo-Pak ties bedeviled by 58 years of bitterness.
Thirty passengers, including five women, who started off from Muzaffarabad,
capital of Pakistan occupied Kashmir, on Thursday morning, reached the
peace-bridge that straddles the LoC, after a 61 km journey lasting two and a
half hours.
The passengers got off the brand new, lime green and gold coach on the Pakistani
side and walked across the bridge appropriately painted white to signify peace.
Warm music from the army band welcomed them on this side of divided Jammu and
Kashmir.
An old lady on wheelchair led the Pakistani passengers.
Undettered by a eleventh hour fidayeen attack and daily threats
to the passengers, the
Karwan-e-aman bus was flagged
off by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from Srinagar for Muzaffarabad on
Thursday.
Calling the attack on the Srinagar Tourist Centre "unfortunate", the Prime Minister said: "There is no change with regard to the flagging off of the bus service. The peace process and the journey of peace will go on."
The bus will roll out of the Sher-e-Kashmir cricket stadium at 10:30 am on its 170-km historic journey in the presence of top government leadership including External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh, Home Minister Shivraj Patil and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
A day before the bus launch, militants stormed and set ablaze the heavily guarded Tourist Reception Centre where the passengers of the historic bus journey were lodged. A hour-long gun battle ensued, killing the two fidayeens. The incident created a scare, putting a question mark on the historic event.
Yesterday's headline:
Ultras
vow bloody end at LoC
Blast in Pattan after Kashmir bus passes
: A blast rocked Pattan minutes after the peace
bus passed the town. Meanwhile, militants have claimed responsibilty for the
first attack at Singhpora.
Ultras
storm Srinagar Tourist Centre: Only
hours before the launch of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, militants
launched a suicide attack on the Tourist Reception Centre this afternoon in
which both militants were killed.
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I
can work only up to a point: Vajpayee: "Under the leadership of
Advaniji the party [Bharatiya Janata Party] is moving forward and will continue
to do so ... my good wishes ... I am unhappy, I can work only up to a point, no
more." These were the utterances of former PM Vajpayee at the BJP party
conclave in Delhi.
'Demographic
invasion biggest threat to India': After Ayodhya movement and its
subsequent success, the BJP think tanks now set to turn the heat on the issue of
infiltration from Bangladesh in the East.
Medha
Patkar arrested: Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, filmmaker Anand
Patwardhan. and several others were arrested today after the police tried to
disperse a procession of displaced slum dwellers. They have been charged with
rioting.
PM
to review UPA regime\92s functioning:
Putting the possibility of a strong third front at the centrestage of national
politics, the ongoing 18th party congress of the CPM will make an indepth review
of the functioning of UPA Government and chalk out the party\92s future
strategy, senior leader Prakash Karat said today.
CBI conducts
nationwide raids: In its second nationwide special raid against corrupt
officials across the country, the CBI today conducted raids at as many as 144
places and registered 45 cases against at least 85 persons, including 53 public
servants.
Indo-US
Air Force exercises in November: The
second series of the joint fighter aircraft exercises with the US Air Force will
be held in November with the frontline Sukhoi, Mirage 2000 and upgraded MiG
Bisons participating from the Indian Air Force.
Nod
to build dam in Renuka sanctuary: The
standing committee on the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) met in the
Capital today to discuss and grant approval to developmental projects inside
national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the country.
States
Petrol,
not liquor, costlier in Punjab: While the prices of diesel and petrol have
gone up marginally since April 1, the cess on liquor \97 both Punjab medium and
Indian-made foreign \97 is yet to be levied in Punjab. \93No final
decision has been taken on the levying of cess on Punjab medium liquor and
Indian-made foreign liquor,\94 says a senior functionary of the Excise and
Taxation Department.
Bihar
spends least on tobacco, N-E highest:
Believe it or not. Bihar is the best, at least in terms of average
expenditure of a person on paan, tobacco and other intoxicants. The State - seen
widely as one of "Khaini-eaters" - accounts for the lowest per capita
expenditure on these items.
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Sikhs\92
plea on PoK gurdwaras:
A group of Sikh leaders today urged the Pakistan Government to allow their
delegation to visit Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and other areas where large
number of gurdwaras were \93lying neglected\94.
Neighbours
Aziz
stresses need for stability, peace in Asia:
Pakistan is committed to effectively contributing to the defining of an
international order and it earnestly seeks peaceful settlement of all
outstanding issues, in particular the Kashmir dispute, its prime minister has
said.
Strong
China no threat to any country, says Wen: Chinese
Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said here on Wednesday that his country would never
pose a threat to any other country nor would it seek to dominate Asia.
View from abroad
Now, Palestine turns to Gandhi
: Award-winning film 'Gandhi' will be screened in
a bid to encourage non-violent struggle against Israel.
NRI sues UK
society for 1 mn pounds: A Non-Resident Indian woman has sued the
prestigious Law Society, the governing body for solicitors in England and Wales,
for 1 million pounds damages for alleged racial and sexual harassment.
Overall
India, Pakistan buses crossed over:
The
service breaks a 58-year-old roadblock in the relationship between the
neighbours.
Medha Patkar was arrested: She was addressing a rally of displaced
slumdwellers when police took her away and charged her with rioting.
Palestine sought inspiration from Gandhi: Palestinians want to emulate
Gandhi's non-violent struggle against the British in their battle against
Israel.
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