India halted a key bus service with the Pakistani part of Kashmir, cutting the only land route linking the divided Himalayan region, Pakistani and Indian officials said Wednesday. According to a Pakistani official, Shahid Mehmood, Indian authorities suspended the bus service this week without explanation. The development comes amid escalated tensions between Pakistan and India in the wake of last week’s deadly suicide bombing in Kashmir against Indian paramilitary troops. At least 40 Indian soldiers were killed in Thursday’s attack, which New Delhi blamed on Islamabad. Pakistan condemned the attack but cautioned India against linking it to the bombing without an investigation. An Indian official confirmed the service was halted on Monday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters. The bus service between Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan’s part of Kashmir, and Srinagar, the capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, was suspended so suddenly that travelers only learned about it when they went to the terminal. Private cars, motorcycles and other forms of transportation have long been banned.
Published in Daily Times, February 21st 2019.
