LAHORE: A group of six Sri Lankan riders -- three on as many heavy motorcycles and three on a jeep -- who are on an adventure motorcycle ride expedition from Germany to homeland Sri Lanka could not cross Wagah on Friday as the time for crossing the border (3:30pm) had run out.

The group will now cross the border at 9:30am on Saturday (today).

Though the group arrived at the crossing well before the time, customs procedures took time and doors of both borders closed at 3:30pm.

The expedition began on Sept 15 last from Berlin in Germany. The trip was arranged by the chairperson of the Brandix Lanka Limited in liaison with the Government of Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Interior in Islamabad arranged security for the riders.

The six Sri Lankan expeditors are Feroz Omar, retired Maj Nalaka Buddadasa, Javana Fernando, Kenneth McAlpine, Capt Kshmendra Weeratunga and John Durrant.

The group traveled through Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. From Wagah, the riders will travel through India to Batramulla, Sri Lanka.

“Pakistani landscape is amazing and so is the hospitality and the food,” McAlpine, the Sri Lankan biker, said at Wagah border.

The expedition entered Pakistan from Zaidan to Taftan on Oct 7 and continued road travel through Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab to reach Wagah border.

McAlpine said the travelers enjoyed different terrains, altitudes, weathers, food and culture of countries they passed through.

Mr Buddadasa, another expedition member, told Dawn they had been planning the expedition since 2000.

Three heavy gigantic bikes and the jeep would re-roll for India on Saturday (today) at the last leg of the adventurous journey.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2014

Opinion

Admissions game

Admissions game

The admissions game has developed into a market with specialised players emerging to address gaps in provision.

Editorial

High power costs
16 Aug, 2024

High power costs

The bad news is that authorities seem to be second-guessing the plan as it is likely to hurt the business interests of Pakistan’s rent-seeking elite.
Nuclear bazaar
16 Aug, 2024

Nuclear bazaar

REPEAT incidents of security failures and the shoddy regulation of India’s nuclear sector have earned our eastern...
Mpox concerns
16 Aug, 2024

Mpox concerns

FIRST identified in humans in 1970, the mpox virus is once again the focus of global attention due to the emergence...
Throttling connectivity
Updated 15 Aug, 2024

Throttling connectivity

Now the authorities seem to have decided that WhatsApp has replaced X as the new staging ground for dissent and are tightening the noose.
Targeting TTP
15 Aug, 2024

Targeting TTP

Is slapping on a new label on a hard-core terrorist outfit the right strategy, especially when the label is also imbued with religious meaning?
Transgender justice
15 Aug, 2024

Transgender justice

Our policymakers still see this community as a slur, making political commitment to justice for transgender people a distant dream.