Pakistan army refrain to open gates for bus carrying passengers to PoK

The cross-LoC bus service from Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district to Rawalkot of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was suspended on Monday. A bus carrying 3 passengers from PoK had to return back to Poonch after Pakistan Army refrained from opening the zero point gate at LoC.

A resident of Mirpur from PoK, Syed Bukhari, expressed concern on the bus service suspension. "I was going back. I, later on, went to the border to buy tickets but, was told that the Pakistani authorities did not open the gate today, then we had to come back," he told ANI.

The suspension comes at a time when Pakistan and India are trying to de-escalate tensions between the two nuclear powers following Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman's return to India on March 1.

(With inputs from agencies.)