06 March 2005	Sunday	24 Muharram 1426

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ISLAMABAD, March 5: Initially the frequency of the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service, scheduled to be launched on April 7, would be fortnightly, diplomatic sources told Dawn on Saturday.

Pakistan will start issuing application forms for the travel permits from next week, officials said, adding that the forms would be available at the deputy commissioner's office in Muzaffarabad.

In Srinagar, the authorities had reportedly started issuing the forms from Friday.

Islamabad and New Delhi have agreed to facilitate speedy processing of travel permits and set a timeline of two weeks for security clearance of prospective travellers, it is learnt.

At the outset, a 30-seater bus would be run. A separate coach carrying the media team is likely to be run with the inaugural bus to cover the re-opening of the historic route. Keeping in view the security concerns a police van would tail the bus, the sources said.

Officials maintained that the bulk of travellers would be Kashmiris, emphasizing that the underlying objective of starting the bus service was to facilitate divided Kashmiri families to meet each other.

Under the agreement reached between Pakistan and India last month, the service would also be open to Pakistani and Indian citizens.

Talking to journalists here on Friday, Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri said that Kashmiris as well as Pakistanis and Indians would all travel only on special permits, making it clear that visas and passports were totally out.

Although Mr Kasuri did not specify the frequency of the bus service, he maintained that it would be increased with the passage of time. Asked if he would be on the inaugural bus, he said: "I don't know."

A high-level inter-agency meeting was held here early this week expressed satisfaction with the preparations being made at this end. There are clear signals now from both Pakistan and India that if all goes well the Kashmir bus would start rolling on the scheduled date of April 7.

India proposed on Oct 22, 2003 to establish the first-ever bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad as part of a series of confidence-building measures with Pakistan.