Amritsar, December 9
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is likely to travel by bus to Lahore to attend the SAARC summit on January 17 next year.
According to a highly reliable source, the Prime Minister has given preference to travel by road to Pakistan to give boost to bilateral relations. Mr Vajpayee had undertaken a similar peace initiative by travelling by bus from the Wagah check post to Lahore in February 1999, but the Kargil war negated his personal efforts to normalise relations with Pakistan.
The Prime Minister’s proposed visit to attend the SAARC summit and his intention of using the land route had brought cheer and enthusiasm in the local business circles as they believed such a gesture would result in the early starting of the Amritsar-Lahore bus service, resumption of the Samjhauta Express and the opening of land route for goods trade.
The team from the Prime Minister’s office had given green light to the local administration to make preparation for Mr Vajpayee’s visit. The advance team comprising personnel from the SPG and the Prime Minister’s office would be arriving here on January 14 to supervise the arrangements for the proposed trip to Pakistan.
