RAWALPINDI, July 3: Varan buses return to the roads of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Friday, some 40 months after public anger at fatal accidents and litigation by private transporters had forced the company to abandon its service.

The bus company would ply its large-capacity vehicles first on five major routes in the twin cities and on all routes at a later stage.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif inaugurating the urban transport service on Thursday blamed the former government for the Varan company’s decision to close its service in February 2005.

He announced that similar bus services would be introduced across the province to reduce people’s dependence on private cars.

Ms Uzma Gul, chairperson of Varan, alleged on the occasion that former railway minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed forced Varan’s hands to close its service and requested City Police Officer Rao Iqbal to help her in registering FIR against the former minister which police had refused her to do in 2005.

Her father Gen (retired) Hameed Gul, a former ISI chief, and parliamentarians from Rawalpindi district attended Varan’s relaunch ceremony.

Besides providing separate seats for special persons, one-third of the seats in the new buses would be reserved for women passengers. Varan buses would stop at each bus stop for one minute and the staff has instructions to be polite to the passengers.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif lauded the services of Varan Tours in the past saying that school and college going students, ladies and office workers were benefiting from its services and accused the PML-Q government of politically victimising the transport service.

Talking about development of Rawalpindi, Mr Shahbaz announced that he would restart the projects which were initiated by the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 1997.