Many people who have applied for permits to travel by the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, which will start plying from April 7, have dismissed the warning by four militant outfits not to board the bus.
"We have suffered a lot and now we have made up our mind to board the bus. No one can deter us," said Mohammed Aslam, who has applied for the permit.
An anguished Aslam added, "We have suffered a lot during this six decade-long separation and it's time to unite, whatever the means. We are not concerned with the intentions of the government or the militants; we will board the bus, whatever be the consequences."
Al-nasreen, Al-arifeen, Farzand-e-millat and the Save Kashmir Movement had warned people against travelling by the bus, which, they said, was a `coffin'.
The statement issued by the outfits said the bus will be attacked. The bus is a ploy by the Indian government to keep Kashmir with it forever, it said.
Top security officers in Baramulla said the militants have now shown their actual intentions. By issuing such statements they have proved that they are not the friends of the common Kashmiris. They only want to spread terror, they said.
The threat perception has forced security agencies to rethink the arrangements. A top officer said the security will be foolproof.
Security forces are taking the threat seriously, as militants had made a futile attempt to disrupt Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Srinagar rally last year.
