Pakistan’s decision to bar whole categories of applicants from a ride on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus is extremely unfortunate. Politicians are the latest in a list of prospective passengers denied permits to cross the Line of Control on the old Srinagar road. Among those who had hoped to make the inaugural run on April 7 are Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah. But in recent days Islamabad has narrowed the eligibility requirements drastically, saying the bus service is intended “only” for families divided on both sides of the LoC. Reuniting relatives separated by history is a noble, and eternally urgent, objective. But in restricting the bus service “only” to one category of persons, Islamabad has rapidly shrunk the idea of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad border crossing.

It is obvious that Pakistan is hesitant to allow interaction between Kashmiris from acquiring a momentum of its own. But is separating Kashmir from the drift of the peace process elsewhere tenable? Is it even possible? Over the last year normalisation of travel procedures between India and Pakistan has become the most reliable measure of success in the peace process. Steady gains in working through the complexities in various items on the so-called composite dialogue are seen to be mirrored in increased people-to-people contact. Even the imagery of confrontation and reconciliation are reflected thus. When the two countries edged towards brinkmanship, all links were snapped. The first signal of re-engagement was restoration of these routes. In the months since then, Indians and Pakistanis have taken ownership of this restoration in various ways. The two Punjabs are maximising an older Punjabiyat and putting grudges of 1947 way behind them. Industry in both countries is exploring ways to grow together. It’s early days yet, but one thing is clear. There is only one way forward: to remove, bit by bit, curbs on movement.

It is this movement, this momentum of hope that stands in peril when Pakistan gives primacy to spin over popular involvement. Both countries shed decades of maximalism to get the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus moving. It is sad that Pakistan is now stepping back from that largehearted leap.