57 Kashmiris Return to PaK by ‘Special Bus’

Saima Rashid

SRINAGAR

At least 57 residents from Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK) who had come to this side of the Line of Control (LoC) before floods hit Kashmir Friday returned to other side by a ‘special bus’.

Sources said that the passengers from Muzaffarabad had come to see their relatives before this side of Kashmir was deluged. But they were unable to go back.

“There was no bus service on 15^th, 18^th, and 22^nd of this month as scheduled due to floods so the PaK residents couldn’t go back,” they said.

They further informed that Government had announced a special bus service for today to ferry back the stranded passengers.

The passengers included 24 males, 29 women and four children.

Talking to Kashmir Life , the passengers said that they didn’t want to return but their relatives back home were worried due to no phone connectivity.

“I want to help my relatives here whose home was destroyed in the floods but my near ones back in Muzaffarabad don’t have any information about me as I wasn’t able to connect to them,” Mushtaq Ahmad, a PaK resident said. “My travel documents too were lost in the deluge as my relatives’ house collapsed,” he added. Mushtaq is thankful to SHO Rajbagh police station who arranged his travel documents.

When asked about his rescue after floods hit city, Mushtaq praised the young Kashmiris. “It was local youth who rescued us and took us to Nishat area where we had our stay till today,” Mushtaq said.

Another lady passenger said that they are disillusioned to leave like this. “It was hell on the day of floods and we were rescued by locals to safer places,” she said. “There has been no contact with my family since I came to this side of Kashmir because of mobile network breakdown,” she added.

Moreover seven passengers belonging to this side of the LoC also returned from the same ‘special bus’. They included three males, two women and two children. The same passengers were also stranded in Muzaffarabad from many days.

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