Wagah, July 11: Pakistani people today expressed happiness over the restoration of bus services to India, saying it will strengthen relations between the two countries. "We are extremely happy that the service has restarted," said a retired Punjab government employee Rashid Rathore, who is travelling to Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh to meet his relatives.
He told reporters here, "Thousands of people, with relatives in both countries, had been eagerly waiting to visit each other and with the resumption of the service, their hopes will finally meterialise." Mohamed Masood, who is visiting India with his wife and children, said with the resumption of the road transportation, hundreds of newly wed brides were expected to leave for India to join their husbands there.
Wasseium Ahmed, councillor in Egypt Embassy at Islamabad, was happy as people of both the nations could marry their sons and daughters in each others' country.
Among the passengers travelling in the bus are three women, four children, three foreigners and a media team from national and foreign networks. Earlier, Pakistan Minister of State for Tourism Raess Munir Ahmed cut a tape in Lahore and released balloons to mark the formal resumption of the Lahore-Delhi bus service.
"The resumption of the bus service is an initial step to promote and foster bilateral relations through provisions of travel facilities between the two countries," Munir said.
"With the recommencement of the 'dosti' bus service, I hope train and air links would be established soon," he added. Bureau Report