Bomb blast on Kashmir's peace bus route

A bomb blast wounded three people today on the route of the first India-Pakistan bus across Kashmir ahead of its inauguration this week, as separatist rebels warned prospective passengers to stay away.

Police said two other bombs were safely disarmed along the route as India mounted extraordinary security and detained hundreds of people ahead of the inauguration on Thursday of the passenger bus between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani-controlled Kashmir.

Three civilians were injured in the explosion in a village 22 miles north of Srinagar, the summer capital of the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir.

The bomb was placed along the road connecting Srinagar and Muzaffarabad.

A number of Kashmiri rebel groups have issued death threats against anyone planning to travel on the buses, which they see as a publicity gimmick that will do nothing to bring their goal of independence for Kashmir.

The threat was renewed today.

“If you want to let the Indians succeed through your stubbornness, then let it be known that you must suffer with your own ashes and blood,” said a statement signed by four rebel groups: Al-Nasireen (The Helpers), the Save Kashmir Movement, Al-Arifeen (The Pious) and Farzandan-e-Millat (Sons of the Community). The first two are major militant groups, while the others are little-known.

The trans-Kashmir road, once the region’s main highway, has been closed for nearly six decades because of the enmity between India and Pakistan, which both claim Kashmir in its entirety.