05 March 2005	Saturday	23 Muharram 1426

SRINAGAR, March 4: Hundreds of people here queued up on Friday for travel permits to ride the first bus to Azad Kashmir. India and Pakistan last month breathed new life to a year-old peace process by agreeing to a new bus service to link the two parts of Kashmir, prompting celebrations in the troubled territory.

"I will be a satisfied man and will feel my life is complete after I travel on this bus and meet my brother across the border," Mohammad Shafi, a resident of Srinagar, told Reuters after getting an application form for the permit.

The 742-km Line of Control running through Kashmir has divided hundreds of families since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. The bus service, due to begin on April 7, has brought hope in occupied Kashmir, where more than 45,000 people have died in a struggle against Indian occupation. "I am sure this bus will bring peace along with it," Shafi said. -Reuters