The Dosti bus service was begun in February 1999 but was suspended after the 2001 Parliament attack. It was restarted in July 2003.
Pakistan has suspended the Lahore-Delhi friendship bus service, after suspending two cross-border trains, in the wake of India’s decision dismissing Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories, a senior Pakistani minister has stated.
“In line with the judgments of NSC Pak-India bus service is suspended,” Saeed tweeted on Friday.
The Lahore-Delhi bus service is run from Ambedkar Stadium terminal near Delhi Gate. DTC buses ply every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) buses all Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday, from Delhi to Lahore.
Earlier, Pakistan Minister of Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad had stated on Friday that it will suspend the Thar Express train service with India which connects the two countries across the Rajasthan border, a day later it stopped the Samjhauta Express following its decision to downgrade bilateral ties.
He mentioned the 133 km new track was created with the cost of Rs 13 billion for Thar Express and now the track would be utilised for Thar coal project. On Thursday, Pakistan suspended the Samjhauta Express train service with India.
Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said that the train service will not work till he is the Railways minister and the bogies of the train will now be adopted for passengers travelling on the occasion of Eid.
Samjhauta Express:- The Samjhauta Express, described after the Hindi word for “agreement”, contains six sleeper coaches and an AC 3-tier coach. The train service was started on July 22, 1976, under the Simla Agreement that settled the 1971 war between the two governments.
Pakistan’s judgment to suspend the services of the two trains came after it expelled Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria on Wednesday and chose to downgrade the diplomatic ties with India over what it called New Delhi’s “unilateral and illegal” move to remove the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
India on Monday removed Article 370 of the Constitution to remove the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
