Pakistan Army guards the LoC, and no one is allowed past Chakothi. We were stopped at the barrier by some very polite soldiers. They informed us that without a permit from their headquarters in Murree, no one was allowed past. However, when they learnt that we had been traveling non-stop from Lahore just to visit this place, and if we had known of this requirement, we would have acquired the necessary permissions, they connected us to one of their officers over telephone. The officer was very kind and helpful. He remarked that LoC is not an international border, and until 2 years ago when the ceasefire was negotiated, this was an active battleground. The only people who visit the LoC are the passengers of Dosti Bus to Srinagar, which has been suspended for the past sometime.
He was also concerned that since this is no picnic spot, the Indian troops may get alarmed over the large number of men moving around at the LoC and may fire some warning shots.
By now, we all were thinking of what we had got ourselves into. Some of us realized the gravity of the situation, and recommended that we go back - in one piece, not in body bags. Yet, most of us wanted to go ahead, as this trip was once in a lifetime opportunity. Hence, we requested the officer to kindly let us past and that if we had come so far, we were destined to visit the LoC, and insha Allah there would be no problems. The officer reluctantly agreed and asked us to wait for sometime, till he could seek permission from his high ups.
After about half an hour, we were very graciously allowed to go to the LoC. However, the officer sent a Soldier in plain clothes to show us the way.
The farthest at the LoC is a Bus terminal which is used for immigration requirements for the Dosti Bus. The terminal was opened for us for a tour, and we were allowed to use the facilities.
Please note that none of us is connected to the Army, and no references/sifarish was used anywhere.
The Army soldiers did all of this in their famous spirit of hospitality and generosity, to which I am a personal witness, during my numerous trips to the Northern areas, and in the interior Sindh.
Beyond the fence is Indian occupied Jammu Kasmir. Taking photos was not allowed here, but some of the boys still tried to push their luck. If these photos had been a bit clearer, you could easily see Indian military posts on the other side of fence, over the mountain ahead.
