MUZAFFARABAD, June 18: AJK Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat has said that the bus service between the divided parts of Kashmir is beneficial but there should not be ‘undue restrictions’ and maximum number of people should be allowed to avail themselves of the facility.

“I call upon India and Pakistan to ease the process for travelling (between the two parts). If they want to facilitate people, then they should allow common people to move across the line of control,” he told a news conference at his quake-shaken official residence on Sunday.

He had called the press conference to announce withdrawal of his decision to stay away from electoral politics but he took up many other issues, including the bus service, in response to reporters’ questions.

Mr Hayat is scheduled to flag off the second bus service linking Rawalakot in AJK with Poonch on the other side of the LoC on Tuesday.

In April last year, India and Pakistan had launched Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service which had to be stopped after the Oct 8 earthquake. However, shortly afterwards, both countries opened five crossing points along the LoC to ‘facilitate the divided families and exchange relief goods’ although majority of Kashmiris still complains that the procedure for crossings the LoC is lengthy and cumbersome.

“There are undue restrictions from both sides which must be relaxed,” Mr Hayat said in an obvious reference to such grievances.

“If the borders are soft but clearance (process) is hard then it will cast negative impact on the whole development,” he said, adding that the bus service was helpful in the peace process but it should not be considered an end in itself.

“If India assumes that Kashmiris will be satisfied with the bus or truck service then she is gravely mistaken,” he said.

India and Pakistan are to start a truck service on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route to promote trade relations between the two parts of the divided state in the next month.

Mr Hayat said Poonch-Rawalakot bus service would benefit the tens of thousands of divided families living in the former state of Poonch as it reduced the travel time for them to the opposite side of the LoC.

“It’s also one of my strongest desires to travel to Poonch where I spent four years of my childhood as a student of Victoria Jubilee High School,” said the 74-year Kashmiri leader in a nostalgic mood.

“Obviously it is difficult to travel as prime minister but may be after July 25 I am able to revisit the other side,” the PM said. His second term in the office is expiring on July 25.