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Poonch to Rawalakot road ready

Luv Puri

Chakan da Bagh (Poonch): Preparations have been completed for the inauguration of the historic Poonch-Rawalakot road. The trans-LoC link is part of the confidence-building measures agreed upon by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in April last year.

Dr. Singh will flag off the bus service between Poonch town and Rawalakot in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on June 19. The road has been laid in record time by civil and Army authorities. In the last four months, the Army along with local labour completed the 10-km road till the last point along the Line of Control. Customs and immigration posts have also been set up.

Brig. Shergill, Commander of the Poonch Garrison, under whose command the road has been laid, says it is fit for use round the year. A retaining wall has been constructed to prevent landslips.

A signpost in Urdu, put up at the last point along the LoC, saysSarhad zameen baant sakti hein par dil nahin (Boundaries can divide land but not hearts). This sums up the sentiment among the people who are awaiting the start of bus service. Poonch district bore the brunt of the animosity between India and Pakistan in 1947-48 as it was split into two parts dividing families.

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Poonch to Rawalakot road ready

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