Pak oppn divided over bus service

The agreement on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service has evoked a mixed response from the opposition parties in Pakistan.

The Pakistan People's Party, led by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazlur Rehman welcomed the agreement, while exiled former PM Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N and the Jamaat-e-Islami criticised it.

Bhutto, in a statement on Thursday, said the decision is a step towards boosting the peace process, but her ally PML-N called it an 'untimely decision'.

The JUI-F, headed by the leader of the opposition in the national assembly, Fazlur Rehman, said it regarded the service as a 'victory' of Pakistan's viewpoint on the 'disputed' status of Kashmir.

However, the Pakistan media welcomed the agreement.

In an editorial, The News stated, "The landmark agreement between Pakistan and India to allow bus travel across the otherwise thorny Line of Control indeed reflects seriousness of the two South Asian nuclear neighbours to attain durable peace in the region."

Dawn stated editorially, "By agreeing to an entry permit system rather than formal passports, New Delhi and Islamabad have clearly established that accommodation is always possible if the political will exists."

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