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Pakistan
bus from Nankana Sahib arrives in Amritsar
by Ravinder Singh
Robin Wagah: The first bus from Nankana Sahib to Amritsar, on its trial run, has crossed into India this afternoon with ten Pakistani officials onboard, the bus has crossed through the land route of international Wagah border at 12.15 p.m. This is first trail run of the Nankana Sahib Amritsar Bus Service from Pakistan side. Earlier, India has successfully conducted its trail run on January 27 this year The ten members were from the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC). The bus service to Nankana Sahib will fulfill the long-standing demands of the Sikhs from Amritsar -- the city of Harmandar Sahib (the Golden Temple) -- who wish to visit the place of birth of Guru Nanak Dev in Pakistan. Hashim Shah, MD of PTDC said visa procedure would be made simple and convenient for every visitor. He said both the governments were considering setting up visa centers in Lahore and Amritsar after getting response from visitors from both sides. "Visa distribution should come under the SAARC countries. India and Pakistan are including in it. When we visited last we had urged our government to make available visa facilities in Amritsar and Lahore," said Shah.
The
bus service between Amritsar and Nankana Sahib is set to begin on February
27, which means there will be four bus links between India and Pakistan.
The distance between the two points is a little over 50 kilometres. India
and Pakistan have fixed the one way fare of the bus at Rs.700 (15.84 dollars)
and Rs.900 (15.04 dollars) respectively. Children between the ages of
2 to 12 years will be charged the fare, while children below two years
would be allowed to travel free. In April last year, the two sides had
started a bus service across Kashmir- Srinagar-Muzaffarabad-with a twice-a-month
service. The two sides resumed a bus service between Lahore and New Delhi,
in January 2004, shortly after they agreed to a cease-fire along the Line
of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir in November 2003.
-Feb 11, 2006
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