<p>Srinagar: The reopening of the Kaman Bridge, which connects India and Pakistan across the Line of Control (LoC), on Saturday, was overshadowed by a heartbreaking event.</p><p>The bridge, closed in 2019 due to rising tensions between the two countries, served as the site for returning the bodies of a young man and woman who are believed to have tragically jumped to their deaths into the Jhelum River nearly two weeks ago.</p><p>The tragic incident occurred on March 5, when a 22-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman, hailing from the villages of Basgran and Kamalkote, were reported missing. The Indian Army later confirmed that the two had drowned in the Jhelum River. An extensive search operation was immediately launched, but the bodies were not recovered until recently.</p>.Terrorist hideout unearthed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda.<p>After the bodies were retrieved, the Indian Army took up its return with its counterparts across the border and the bodies were returned Saturday, officials said. “The bodies have been returned. The district administration, family members and the army authorities from both sides were present.”</p><p>“In a demonstration of humanitarian cooperation, the Indian and Pakistani armies coordinated efforts to recover the body,” the Indian Army said.</p><p>Kaman Aman Setu, also known as the Bridge of Peace, is located in the Uri sector of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, holds symbolic importance as a rare connection between India and Pakistan in Kashmir.</p>.In the shadow of modern medicine, leech therapy continues to ‘heal’ in Kashmir.<p>Since the partition of the subcontinent, it was opened for the first time in April 2005 for facilitating travel for divided families between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The bridge also served as a crossing point for cross-LoC trade, which began in October 2008.</p><p>However, following the Pulwama suicide attack in February 2019, which killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, India suspended both travel and trade across the bridge, citing the misuse of the facility by individuals linked to terror groups. </p><p>The Indian government took action after reports that the cross-LoC trade routes were being used by Pakistan-based elements to smuggle illegal weapons, narcotics, and counterfeit currency.</p><p>Since its inception, cross-LoC trade had been more of a confidence-building measure than an economic driver, with an average annual trade volume of around Rs 500 crore. Despite its limited economic impact, it remains an important symbol of the fragile peace efforts between the two nuclear-armed countries.</p>
<p>Srinagar: The reopening of the Kaman Bridge, which connects India and Pakistan across the Line of Control (LoC), on Saturday, was overshadowed by a heartbreaking event.</p><p>The bridge, closed in 2019 due to rising tensions between the two countries, served as the site for returning the bodies of a young man and woman who are believed to have tragically jumped to their deaths into the Jhelum River nearly two weeks ago.</p><p>The tragic incident occurred on March 5, when a 22-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman, hailing from the villages of Basgran and Kamalkote, were reported missing. The Indian Army later confirmed that the two had drowned in the Jhelum River. An extensive search operation was immediately launched, but the bodies were not recovered until recently.</p>.Terrorist hideout unearthed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda.<p>After the bodies were retrieved, the Indian Army took up its return with its counterparts across the border and the bodies were returned Saturday, officials said. “The bodies have been returned. The district administration, family members and the army authorities from both sides were present.”</p><p>“In a demonstration of humanitarian cooperation, the Indian and Pakistani armies coordinated efforts to recover the body,” the Indian Army said.</p><p>Kaman Aman Setu, also known as the Bridge of Peace, is located in the Uri sector of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, holds symbolic importance as a rare connection between India and Pakistan in Kashmir.</p>.In the shadow of modern medicine, leech therapy continues to ‘heal’ in Kashmir.<p>Since the partition of the subcontinent, it was opened for the first time in April 2005 for facilitating travel for divided families between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The bridge also served as a crossing point for cross-LoC trade, which began in October 2008.</p><p>However, following the Pulwama suicide attack in February 2019, which killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, India suspended both travel and trade across the bridge, citing the misuse of the facility by individuals linked to terror groups. </p><p>The Indian government took action after reports that the cross-LoC trade routes were being used by Pakistan-based elements to smuggle illegal weapons, narcotics, and counterfeit currency.</p><p>Since its inception, cross-LoC trade had been more of a confidence-building measure than an economic driver, with an average annual trade volume of around Rs 500 crore. Despite its limited economic impact, it remains an important symbol of the fragile peace efforts between the two nuclear-armed countries.</p>