In the wake of India's move to scrap Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, nuclear-armed neighbour Pakistan has decided to suspend the Lahore-Delhi friendship bus service.
This is part of a series of actions Pakistan has taken since Narendra Modi-led BJP government decided to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Earlier, Pakistan had unilaterally suspended the Thar Express services (Jodhpur-Karachi) and the Samjhauta Express train services between Delhi and Lahore.
The Lahore-Delhi bus service was started in February 1999 but was suspended after the 2001 Parliament attack. It was restarted in July 2003.
Taking to Twitter, Pakistan Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed confirmed the decision saying: "In line with the decisions of NSC Pak-India bus service is suspended."
The bus service is operated from Ambedkar Stadium terminal near Delhi Gate. DTC buses ply every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) buses every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, from Delhi to Lahore. For the return trip, DTC buses leave Lahore every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday whereas the PTDC buses are available every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
On Thursday, Pakistan Minister of Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad had confirmed that the Samjhauta Express train service was stopped. Meanwhile, on Friday, the Thar Express train service with India was suspended. The last Thar Express train left for India late on Friday night.
The 133 km new track of the Thar Express, which operated between Jodhpur's Bhagat ki Kothi station to Karachi, was built with the cost of Rs 13 billion for Thar Express.
Pakistan's decision to suspend the services of the two trains came after it expelled Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria on Wednesday. The country has also cut off diplomatic ties with India over what it called New Delhi's "unilateral and illegal" move to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
However, India's stand on Article 370 will open the doors of development in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and help people to prosper.
