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Crossing from Teetwal resumes after winter break

Shujaat Bukhari

TANGDHAR: The crossing of people from the Teetwal sector in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir has resumed after a few months of winter break. On May 7, 13 people crossed from either side. Teetwal, which is around 10 km from here, was one of the five crossing points opened after the devastating earthquake of October 2005. It was initially used to exchange relief material on both sides as a goodwill gesture.

Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawalakot were the main roads opened as per an agreement between India and Pakistan in early 2005. Others were later added to facilitate the movement of people from both sides.

Teetwal is one of the closest points with Pakistan occupied Kashmir and is preferred by the residents of the district.

Chaliyana is a village that faces Teetwal on the other side. “For winter months, it is closed as the area is snowbound. But we have resumed the crossing on May 7, when nine people crossed from this side and four came from the other side,” Regional Passport Officer (RPO) Srinagar B.S. Manavalan told The-Hindu. The RPO is the authority who issues travel permits for all the crossing points. He said some people from Srinagar also preferred to cross from Teetwal as it depended on whether they had relatives in the area opposite to that in Pakistan.

Teetwal is around 200 km from Srinagar and the area, known as Karnah, remains cut off for weeks in winter.

For the residents of Karnah, the opening of Teetwal point sometime in November 2005 has been of great help to them. “We have nearly 20,000 families across the LoC, which are related, and obviously people would like to cross and meet them,” said Mohammad Rafiq, a resident of Gabra village.

“We were cut off, and imagine going from here to Wagah that too after getting a visa from the Pakistan High Commission,” he adds.

Those who intend to cross say that the procedure to get a travel permit from the RPO was cumbersome but “a far better process than going through Wagah.”

Weddings across LoC

With the opening of this point, people have been thinking of weddings across the LoC. “One or two have taken place in the past few years,” says Manzoor Ahmad. But people are still apprehensive about the viability of the crossing point becoming permanent.

Besides weekly bus services between Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawlakot, Teetwal is the only crossing point that is functional. Baloi in the Poonch sector is not operational, as the bridge connecting the two sides is damaged. The Silikot point in Uri sector was also closed after the relief was exchanged a few times.

Even as the number of people intending to use these routes is increasing, the process of travel permit takes longer time. In some cases, people who have applied since the bus was launched have not got the permission.

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