Title - Baramulla-Qazigund rail service resumes

Srinagar:
After remaining suspended for over a week, train services resumed today as life has started limping back to normal in the Kashmir valley.A Railway official said normal train services resumed between Baramulla in north Kashmir and Qazigund in south Kashmir after remaining suspended since March 3.Even as the train service in the Valley is yet to be connected with the rest of the country, it plies between Qazigund and Baramulla via Nowgam, Srinagar and Budgam in central Kashmir covering a distance of 119 kilometres.The train services were suspended due to widespread protests amid shutdowns and curfew at several places in the aftermath of death of Mudasir Malla, who was found hanging under mysterious circumstances at the hostel of English and Foreign Languages University in Hyderabad. Malla was a native of Parigam village in Baramulla and his death had triggered protests across the Valley, especially in north Kashmir.The train had also been attacked by stone throwers near Kakpora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on March 3 and the railway officials had earlier stated that the services would resume following improvement in the overall situation.The train services were suspended last month also in the aftermath of execution of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru on February 9. The train services had been suspended due to security reasons on February 9. Partial train service from Qazigund to Budgam in central Kashmir was resumed on February 18 and the train service between Baramulla and Qazigund was fully restored on February 25.

The Baramulla-Qazigund rail link was inaugurated by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in October 2009.