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Indian and Pakistani buses traveled to each other's land Friday for the first time in 18 months, thus giving a boost to the current peace initiative between the two countries.
The Ambedkar Bus Terminal in central Delhi was a sea of umbrellas as the bus from Lahore arrived a little after 8 pm amidst a persistent downpour, and a large number of people greeted the 28 passengers traveling on it.
Among them was Noor Fatima, a young girl on her way to Bangalore to receive treatment for a major heart disease.
The bus was delayed for two hours in reaching Delhi but that did not deter relatives who waited to greet the passengers. Once the bus came to a halt, they milled around it, welcoming the passengers as dozens of TV cameras and photographers captured the moment.
Earlier in the day, relatives of passengers and onlookers clapped and cheered as India's Surface Transport and Highways Minister B.C. Khanduri waved off the golden 34-seater Indian bus, painted with a fusion of the Indian and Pakistani flags, from the Ambedkar terminal on its 527-km journey to Lahore.
In Lahore, people released colorful balloons as Tourism Minister Raees Muneer Ahmed flagged off the luxury bus on its 12-hour drive to Delhi, according to an online service.
"It is the first step which will open the way for more trade and tourism between the countries," Ahmed said.
There were 32 passengers on board the Indian bus, but only 13, including six children, were genuine passengers. The rest were journalists.
On board the Pakistani bus were 28 passengers, including nine journalists, besides two drivers and a liaison officer.
The resumption of the service ended a long drought in relations and was marked by tears and high emotions, both at the beginning and the end of the journey, as divided families rejoiced reunion.
Nilofar Masood, an Indian married to a Pakistani, traveling from Lahore to Delhi, reflected the overwhelming feeling among those headed in either direction when she said, "We want the service to continue for a very, very long time."
She recalled how she had to leave for Pakistan two days before her brother's marriage in December 2001.
The Delhi-Lahore bus service was launched with much fanfare on March 16, 1999, almost a month after Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee undertook the historic bus trip to Lahore on Feb. 19.
The service was snapped on Dec. 31, 2001, 18 days after terrorist attack on Indian Parliament.
In April, Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee said he would try for a final bid for peace with Pakistan following which both countries decided to resume full diplomatic ties and air, rail and bus links.
(Xinhua News Agency July 11, 2003)
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