Islamabad, June 11: Pakistan is ready to send a three-member delegation next week to discuss and finalise details to resume Lahore-New Delhi bus service. "We have communicated to the Indian side that we are ready to send a three-member delegation to New Delhi and proposed the dates of June 18 and 19," local daily 'Dawn' quoted a Pakistan Foreign Ministry official as saying.
Pakistan's offer to send an official delegation was conveyed by its deputy high commissioner in New Delhi Munawar Bhatti to the official of the Indian External Affairs Ministry. The three-member team would be headed by deputy managing-director of Pakistan Tourist Development Corporation (PTDC), he said.
Pakistan foreign officials were not immediately available for comment.
PTDC was Pakistan's official agency responsible for running the bus service from Lahore. Pakistan's decision to send the three-member delegation to India followed a communication earlier this month from New Delhi that it was ready to receive a delegation from Islamabad to discuss revival of the passenger bus service.
Pakistan, however, was silent on the issue of civil aviation officials meeting to discuss the resumption of air-links as well as re-opening Pakistan's airspace to Indian over flights. The issue of resuming air links remains a thorny issue despite both the countries announcing their willingness to resume the flight services.
Bureau Report