145;Walls down, bridge a beginning146;

When Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed took his first step, he couldn8217;t hide his excitement. He was the first politician to walk thi...

When Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed took his first step, he couldn8217;t hide his excitement. He was the first politician to walk this 200-ft bridge, that will connect India and Pakistan in Kashmir, first time since the Line of Control cut through its piers.

Till a few weeks ago, this stretch was no-man8217;s land and a minefield, watched by snipers behind bunker windows on both sides. For five decades, nobody could have thought of venturing here. Today, Mufti saw both armies working together, rebuilding the 115-year-old bridge for the first Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus on April 7. 8216;8216;This is a great moment,8217;8217; Mufti said, as a large group of officials and Armymen gathered around him. 8216;8216;The walls of hate between India and Pakistan are finally crumbling. And this bridge that was, in itself, part of the dispute, is now the epitome of change.8217;8217;

Metres away, a Pakistani soldier in khaki waved and a dozen hands shot up in reply. Behind him, three bulldozers were widening the road on the Pakistani side. 8216;8216;This is not just symbolic,8217;8217; the CM said. 8216;8216;And this is not the ultimate step. The opening of this historic road is the beginning 8230;Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reposed full confidence in the people of J-K by not making this travel hostage to a passport or a visa. President Musharraf too contributed8230;and this change was not scripted in Washington but by the people who want all roads to be opened and all hostility to go. The CM, however, said the road was a 8220;significant step8221; to resolution of the Kashmir problem, but not a substitute.

Men of 6 Engineers of the Army, the Dogra regiment and Beacon, are busy working to make the final 3-km stretch of this road motorable.

The Army is building a complex opposite Kaman post 8212; the last Army bunker on this side of the Line of Control, for Immigration offices and other facilities. Pakistan will let the bus travel three km to its first town near the LoC, Chakoti, where the passengers will disembark for immigration and customs.

Muzamil Jaleel

Muzamil Jaleel is a Deputy Editor at The Indian Express and is widely recognized as one of India’s most authoritative voices on Jammu & Kashmir, national security, and internal affairs. With a career spanning over 30 years, he has provided definitive on-the-ground reportage from the heart of the Kashmir conflict, bearing witness to historic political transitions and constitutional shifts. Expertise and Investigative Depth Muzamil’s work is characterized by a rare combination of ground-level immersion and high-level constitutional analysis. His expertise includes: Conflict & Geopolitics: Decades of reporting on the evolution of the Kashmir conflict, the Indo-Pak peace process, and the socio-political dynamics of the Himalayan region. Constitutional Law: Deep-dive analysis of Article 370 and Article 35A, providing clarity on the legal and demographic implications of their abrogation in 2019. Human Rights & Accountability: A relentless investigator of state and non-state actors, uncovering systemic abuses including fake encounters and the custodial death of political workers. International War Reporting: Beyond South Asia, he provided on-the-spot coverage of the final, decisive phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009. Landmark Exposés & Impact Muzamil’s reporting has repeatedly forced institutional accountability and shaped national discourse: The Kashmir Sex Scandal (2006): His investigative series exposed a high-profile exploitation nexus involving top politicians, bureaucrats, and police officers, leading to the sacking and arrest of several senior officials. Fake Encounters: His reports blew the lid off cases where innocent civilians were passed off as "foreign terrorists" by security forces for gallantry awards. SIMI Investigations: He conducted a massive deep-dive into the arrests of SIMI members, using public records to show how innocuous religious gatherings were often labeled as incriminating activities by investigative agencies. The Amarnath Land Row: Provided critical context to the 2008 agitation that polarized the region and altered its political trajectory. Over the years, Muzamil has also covered 2002 Gujarat riots, Bhuj earthquake, assembly elections in Bihar for Indian Express. He has also reported the peace process in Northern Ireland, war in Sri Lanka and national elections in Pakistan for the paper. Awards and Fellowships His "Journalism of Courage" has been honored with the industry's most prestigious accolades: Four Ramnath Goenka Awards: Recognized for J&K Reportage (2007), On-the-Spot Reporting (2009), and Reporting on Politics and Government (2012, 2017). Kurt Schork Award: From Columbia University for international journalism. Sanskriti Award: For excellence in Indian journalism and literature. IFJ Tolerance Prize: For his empathetic and nuanced reporting in South Asia. International Fellowships: Served as a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley and worked with The Guardian, The Observer, and The Times in London. He has also received Chevening fellowship and a fellowship at the Institute of Social Studies, Hague, Netherlands. Professional Presence Current Location: New Delhi (formerly Bureau Chief, Srinagar). Education: Master’s in Journalism from Kashmir University. Social Media: Follow him for field insights and rigorous analysis on X (Twitter) @MuzamilJALEEL. ... Read More