Civilians allowed to walk up to halfway
Uri (Baramulla), Mar 25: In a rare and poignant moment along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir’s Uri sector, the usually restricted Kaman Post witnessed an unexpected easing of access on Eid, allowing a small group of visitors to step onto the historic bridge that symbolically divides India and Pakistan.
The development unfolded when the gate at the Kaman Post – generally closed to civilians – was opened for the visit of an Army official. Seizing the opportunity, a few visitors present at the site requested security personnel to allow them to walk up to the midpoint of the bridge. After brief consideration, the request was granted.
What followed was an unusual scene at one of Kashmir’s most sensitive frontiers. Visitors were allowed to walk up to the halfway mark of the bridge – technically falling within Indian territory – while the other half lies across the Line of Control in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK).
Photographs accessed by Rising Kashmir show people standing at the midpoint, capturing images and peering across the divide, catching a rare glimpse of the other side. Security personnel remained deployed in the area, maintaining a close watch as the visitors spent a few minutes on the bridge.
A police official confirmed that the access was temporary and tightly controlled. “The bridge was opened for an Army officer’s visit. Some visitors requested permission to go up to the halfway point to take photographs. They were allowed for about 10 minutes, after which the gate was closed again,” the official said.
A local guide stationed at Kaman Post also corroborated the sequence of events. “Visitors requested that they be allowed to step onto the bridge. Authorities agreed, and they were permitted to go till the midpoint and take photographs for a brief time,” he said.
The Kaman Bridge holds deep historical and emotional significance. Once a vital link between the two sides of Kashmir, it served as the crossing point for the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, popularly known as the ‘Karwan-e-Aman,’ launched on April 7, 2005. The bus service enabled families divided by the Line of Control to reconnect after decades.
However, the cross-LoC movement came to a halt in 2019 following heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after the Pulwama attack and subsequent developments. Since then, the bridge has largely remained shut, standing as a silent reminder of both connection and conflict.
For those few minutes on Eid, however, the bridge briefly transformed from a symbol of division into a shared space of curiosity, memory, and longing – offering visitors a fleeting, human glimpse across one of the world’s most militarised boundaries.
