Amritsar-Lahore bus service to start soon
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 6
After two-day talks between External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, the leaders announced that a `Special Day’ bus-service will be operated between Amritsar and Lahore for visits to religious places there like Nankana Sahib on special occasions.

The proposed move has been welcomed across the board by political parties. Talking to The Tribune, political leaders cutting across party lines welcomed the move. They not only demanded early starting of the service and increasing its frequency, but also called for easing of visa restrictions.

While Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, Dr Manohar Singh Gill, claimed that it was his persistent effort that had led to the starting of this service, which was a welcome step, SAD Lok Sabha MP from the state and party general secretary, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said the long-pending demand of the people of the state has been fulfilled.

“It is a great day for the people of Punjab, especially Sikhs, who have been restricted by the Government of India and Pakistan to visit the ‘Mecca’ — the birth place of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism,” Dr Gill, former Chief Election Commissioner, said.

He said any measure to increase the people-to-people contact was the biggest confidence-building measure and this step by the two nuclear neighbour to allow greater interaction between the people on both sides of Punjab was the “biggest confidence building measure.”

Former Union Minister and Akali leader said the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan had agreed to the long pending demand of the state.

Mr Dhindsa said the government should ease the visa and other restrictions which had hampered the free movement of people, especially Sikhs to visit their holy shrine.