March, 31 2005	Thursday	20 Safar 1426

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MUZAFFARABAD, March 30: Officials from Pakistan and India on Wednesday returned lists they had swapped a week ago of passengers selected to travel on the first buses between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad. The swapping of the lists took place on the Indian side of Kashmir across what is now being dubbed as ‘peace bridge’ built over a channel that marks the Line of Control.

On March 22, Muzaffarabad deputy commissioner Liaquat Hussain and Colonel Ghulab Singh Rawat from India had exchanged the lists of prospective travellers for verification. The list of Azad Jammu and Kashmir travellers comprises 46 people whereas that from occupied Kashmir had 40 names on it.

A local official, associated with the process, told Dawn that of the 40 names given by the Indian side, they had cleared only 29. “We have dropped those who do not have relatives here,” said the official. However, another official said the lists had been vetted by Pakistan’s foreign office and only the foreign office knew why some names had been dropped out.

The first buses that will start rolling on April 7 are supposed to carry 30 passengers each. The official, however, said that it was not a hard and fast rule. “The number can go up or down by one or two passenger(s),” he added. According to another official, India has cleared around 42 names from the list given by the AJK authorities.