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| 09 March 2004 | Tuesday | 17 Muharram 1425 |
Khokhrapar bus service talks begin today
ISLAMABAD, March 8: The 8-member Indian delegation led by Mr Alok Rawat, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India, arrived in Islamabad via Lahore on Monday
to start talks on resuming a bus service between Pakistan and India through Munnabao-Khokhrapar border.
Other members of the Indian team were: Surender Kumar, the additional chief secretary of the state of Rajasthan; Wikas Swarup, Director, Ministry of External Affairs; R.N. Meena, chairman, Rajisthan Road Transport Corporation; Om Parakash, Commissioner Customs; P.K. Pathak, Director, Ministry of Home Affairs; P.K. Bhardwal and Vivok Ashish, both section officers of Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways.
The talks will open on Tuesday at 11am at the committee room of the communication ministry. From Pakistan side Musaddiq Mohammad Khan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Communications, will lead the delegation which will consisit of Jalil Abbas Jeelani, the Director-General (South Asia) and Tariq Zaman, Director (India) of Foreign Office.
Senior officials from the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation of Pakistan (PTDC), and the National Highway Authority (NHA) will also be part of the Pakistani team in the talks.
Earlier, members of the Indian delegation were warmly received on their arrival in Lahore on Monday from where they travelled to Islamabad. A spokesperson for the Communication Ministry said that the Joint Secretary level talks will deal with the basic issues concerning resumption of the bus service between Munabao in Sindh on Pakistan side and Khokhrapar in Indian Rajasthan.
The transport link between the two countries from this point was severed following 1965 Pakistan-India war and efforts were never made to restore it since then.
"This round of talks will only deal with the basic issues concerning possible resumption of a bus service from this point and pave the way for the senior level talks some time in future. We should not expect to reach any major decisions in this round of meetings," the spokesperson said.
She said the proceedings would be closed-door and a joint statement will be issued at the conclusion of two-day talks on Wednesday. "There are little chances of a joint press conference. A joint press statement is most likely to be issued in the end," the spokesperson said.
Earlier, the foreign office spokesman Masood Khan in his weekly briefing while answering a question about Pakistan-India talks for resumption of bus service said: "Yes, they have requested for meetings on the bus service because 8,000 cricket fans are expected during the forthcoming cricket series.
"Therefore, they have requested us to increase the number of flights, Samjotha Express train services and Dosti buses. We have received the requests and have sent them to the departments concerned but we haven't yet given a final response," Masood Khan said.
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