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‘Punj-Aab’ rolls into Lahore
Harbans Singh Virdi
Tribune News Service
‘Punj-Aab’ enters Pakistan at the Wagah joint checkpost on Tuesday.
— Photo by Rajiv Sharma |
Lahore, January 24
ding on the wave of new found interest and enthusiasm which now fills the air on both sides of the Indo-Pak border, “Punj-Aab” bus today rolled into the Gulberg terminus in Pakistan with a galaxy of VIPs aboard the bus. The huge Volvo vehicle which commenced its journey from the international bus terminus at Amritsar around 10 a.m. drove into posh Gulberg with all that familiar sight of throwing of petals on the bus and garlanding passengers who included ministers, senior officials and a few mediapersons. The bonhomie witnessed at Gulberg bus terminus left many passengers floored. ‘Punj-Aab’ is derived from two Persian words, ‘Panj’ meaning five and ‘Aab’ (spoken ab) meaning water, so it refers to the land which had five rivers to keep its arteries clean and functioning. But the January 24 occasion proved historic, for it established a link between people of two Punjabs ushering in a new era of
friendship were a host of VIPs, including Mr Sardool Singh, Minister, Excise and Taxation, Mr Ashwani Sekhri, Parliamentary Secretary, Mr Amarjeet Singh Kaypee, Transport Minister, and Mr Darbari Lal, Deputy Speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha. If these ministers stole the thunder on board, it was Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal who shared the cake of publicity with over enthusiastic media swarming all over like bees and capturing historic moments at Amritsar.The bus also attracted people of different hues. For instance Amarjeet Singh, an NRI, failed to curb his enthusiasm and jumped on board, he was overwhelmed by Pakistani hospitality at Gulberg. Then there was Hamilton-born Sukhpreet Priya Kaur from New Zealand, whose joy recognised no borders. Priya was beaming, so happy to be among the passengers. Both are no “desi” travellers, they carry passports which can make officials, on both sides, stand to attention, thus both will not return but will spend many days in Pakistan visiting various places of pilgrimage. Those who viewed the bus service with skepticism should take notice. The bus drew great response. The magnificent vehicle has 45 seats. Today the bus carried 39 passengers with just a few seats kept to meet the last-minute VIP pressure. Though Mr A.R. Talwar, Secretary, Transport, was on board to ensure that the bus ran along the script, it was the livewire, Deputy Director, Sarkaria, who made all efforts to write its success story. While Mia Mohammed Aslam, Minister of Tourism, Pakistan, received the bus at Wagah on Pakistan side, it was Mohammed Abbas, Additional Secretary, (Communications), Federal Government who received the bus at Gulberg in Lahore.
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