LoC’s last point Kaman Post thrown open for tourists, locals
The army has allowed civilians, including tourists, to visit Kaman Post and Bridge which is the last point on the Line of Control in J&K’s Baramulla district
The army has allowed civilians, including tourists, to visit Kaman Post and Bridge which is the last point on the Line of Control in Baramulla district.
The Kaman Bridge or Peace bridge (Aman Setu) that connects the Valley with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is being developed as a potential tourist place on the LoC. Last week, army officer heading 12 infantry brigade that overlooks Line of Control in Uri said that the travel restrictions to promote tourism at Kaman, around 130 kilometers from Srinagar has been lifted.
Commander Uri Brigade, Brigadier Kuldeep Dahiya told media persons on sidelines of Uri mela that Uri should come on the tourism map of world. “There are no restrictions to visit Kaman Post as it has been thrown open for locals as well as tourists,” he had said.
From past one month locals and tourists after taking simple permission at Army and Police posts are allowed to visit the Kaman. Earlier army didn’t allow tourists or locals to visit Kaman unless they had proper permission that was a cumbersome process. “It’s a welcome step, if restrictions have been eased out. This place has a tremendous potential for tourism. Let the Army and Police implement orders on ground then more tourists will visit our area,” said Sajjad Shafi, senior National Conference leader from Uri. “In the past, despite assurances of hassle free travel, restrictions were still in place.”
Though the road to PoK was thrown open in 2005 with the launch of bus services between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad after more than five decades of hostilities, it was closed in 2018 over their alleged use for terror activities. Thousands of members of divided families traveled through this bridge to meet their loved ones after decades of separation. With ceasefire on LoC since 2021, the large number of tourists and locals are visiting places in Kashmir which are close to LoC especially in Tanghdar, Gurez and Machil. Kaman Post has been given a new look with a 50 feet high national flag, viewpoints with binoculars, and a kiosk for local items besides a new resting place.
At Kaman Post, billboards have been put up depicting the history of the region since 1947 and pictures of local heroes and soldiers killed in action in the India-Pakistan wars and cross-LoC shelling. A cafe has also been opened near the Kaman Aman Setu (bridge), which was until 2018 used for cross-LoC trade and travel. Kaman post is the first point on the national highway 1A on the Indian side of the LOC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district and served as a trade point on the Srinagar to Muzaffarabad route before its suspension in 2018. The post was named in 1956 in the memory of Lt. Col. Kaman Singh, the hero of ‘Thikal war’ in 1948 and a Mahavir Chakra awardee. Officials said the post is especially popular for its view across the Line of Control and had become popular for motivational tours organised by schools and colleges
The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route was first thrown open in the year 2005 and was seen as one of the biggest Confidence Building Measures (CBM’s) between India and Pakistan. The route was made inoperative in April 2019 purportedly for some repair work but could not be reopened after relations between the two countries nosedived after abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories in August that year. The Indian Army officials have spoken of plans to turn Kaman post into a major tourist attraction offering stunning views across the LoCs with accompanying tales of snipers shooting from pigeon hole bunkers at one of the most hostile boundaries between India and Pakistan. The officials of district administration and tourism department have also been trying to turn Kaman into a popular tourist destination. “Many tourists visit Uri with a purpose to travel to last point and after cumbersome process of clerance they (tourists) used to return without going towards the Kaman Post. The army should take identity cards and allow people to visit Kaman then only it will become popular tourist destination like other places,” said Ishtiyaq Ahmad, an Uri resident.