Emotion and drama ruled as the first persons to cross the LoC from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), legally, in nearly 60 years walked over the freshly-painted 'bridge of peace’. Most of the 30 passengers rushed through the welcome by J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed as a part of the Kashmir they never thought they would see in their lives beckoned.
The first two to reach Indian soil knelt and kissed the ground and words failed many of them.
Sitting in a wheelchair, Zamoora Sharij — who introduced herself as a former MLA in PoK — fought back tears. SM Arif, a J&K Health Services officer on deputation at the post, had no such compunctions.
Tears rolled down his face as he hugged passengers fiercely even as an old man from across the border looked at a group of people in the eye and said: "You will all remember where you were today and what you were doing."
A big hoarding displayed Iqbal's famous poem: Mazhab nahin sikhata apas mein bair rakhna.
"I am really happy. My father migrated from Baramulla in 1949. It would be the first time since then that I will meet my blood relations," a passenger said before being whisked away by security personnel. Another passenger said his son and daughter-in-law were here and he was longing to meet them.
As they were going through their customs check, a slightly shaken group of passengers from Srinagar arrived. Two rifle grenades had missed them at Pattan — the site of the Monday morning IED blast. After a customs check they rushed across the bridge and were welcomed by PoK officials.
{{/usCountry}}As they were going through their customs check, a slightly shaken group of passengers from Srinagar arrived. Two rifle grenades had missed them at Pattan — the site of the Monday morning IED blast. After a customs check they rushed across the bridge and were welcomed by PoK officials.
{{/usCountry}}If a sense of history hung over everybody at the LoC, there was a lot of excitement along the road from Srinagar to Kaman Post as Kashmiris braved rain and a chilly wind for most of the day to cheer the passengers. They cheered the bus from Srinagar all right, but saved their best for the evening when passengers from PoK crossed them. At the end of a long day, the general feeling was that for once, it wasn't about India and Pakistan. This time Kashmir had won.
(With agency inputs)