Cathartic Crossing

But the popular desire to unite divided families or visit the land of their dreams shouldn't be mistaken for an acceptance of the prevailing status quo in Kashmir. Ask anyone on the streets of Muzaffarabad, and he'd express boundless joy at the bus service. Yet, in the same breath, he would add that the bus should not overshadow the basic demand of the Kashmiris: reunification and allowing them to choose their future. Shopkeeper Ziauddin Pirzada's comment is typical, "Yes, the bus service is good but that does not mean we can forget about solving the problem."

Analysts here feel that India's offer to initiate the Muzafarrabad-Srinagar bus can't influence the mood dramatically, impacting as it does only a minuscule percentage of the population: at best 15,000 families with people on the Indian side of Kashmir. These analysts consequently say the mindset here can't change unless steps are taken to address the issue of Kashmir's future or measures are initiated suggesting a movement in that direction. Fareeda Ghani, a journalist with the UN mission here, said, "Only running the bus is not sufficient, a solution to the basic problem is essential." Ghani, who was born in Srinagar in 1945, was among the 30 passengers who took the bus on April 7. "As a Kashmiri, it's my right if I go to the other part or my relatives come here from there. But real satisfaction will come to the Kashmiris when the basic political question is resolved."

However, the president of the ruling Muslim Conference party in Pakistani Kashmir, Sardar Attique Ahmed, differs: "The bus service has changed the attitudes of the people and will change more. This confidence-building measure will become a source for more CBMs." Attique feels the change in mood is reflected in the popular enthusiasm for the bus. "If the mood hadn't changed, no one would have agreed to travel on the bus."

Partly, the current euphoria springs from the belief that the bus is a firm step towards the political settlement the Kashmiris have in mind. This sentiment can at best sustain itself for two years; it would begin diminishing the moment the Kashmiris feel India's answer to the Kashmir question is to just ply a bus between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad. Says Sheikh Amin, editor of pro-jehadi magazine Kashmiral Yaum, "India has always disregarded the aspirations of the Kashmiris, focusing instead on superficial things. If custodial killings and other atrocities continue, it will be very hard to reconcile the people with a process which already faces opposition from a powerful section of society." Amin argues that as a democratic country India should demonstrate courage in respecting the will of the Kashmiris.

People here feel the April 7 CBM should lead to an end to human rights violations in Indian Kashmir, repeal of draconian laws, release of political prisoners, and facilitation of an intra-Kashmiri dialogue. Says Sahibzada Ishaq Zafar, president of the Pakistani Kashmir chapter of Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, "The bus service is a positive development, but it must be followed by more steps."

But the bus has stoked the hope of Islamabad-based research scholar Ershad Mahmud. He argues, "It's a first step to achieve the Kashmiri's destiny and will increase the level of confidence among the three stakeholders—New Delhi, Islamabad and Kashmiris." He thinks the bus will create pressure on both countries to take fresh peace measures and grant greater salience to the voice of Kashmiris. "It will create a conducive atmosphere to develop greater integration between the people of two Kashmirs," Mahmud insists.

But suspicion about India's intent has always been widespread. It's true about the bus as well. Amin encapsulates this fear well: "There are no signs that India wants to reduce its huge military concentration in Kashmir. Apart from that, the highly politicised bus service has increased apprehensions that India just wants to convert the LoC into the international border."

It all comes back to the LoC, the invisible dagger embedded into the heart of Kashmir.