Pakistan, Afghanistan to start trans-border bus service

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed in principle Wednesday to start a cross-border bus service with trial runs beginning next month, officials said. Transport officials from both countries may sign a formal agreement on Thursday, said Firdus Alam, a senior official from Pakistan 's Communication Ministry.

Photo: Pakistan, Afghanistan to start trans-border bus service

The bus service would link the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar with Jalalabad, the capital of Afghanistan 's eastern Nangarhar province. The service is scheduled to start March 20, said Mohammed Hashim Waiz, the head of the Afghan delegation at the talks.

The two countries will discuss starting another bus service between the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta and Kandahar in southern Afghanistan after looking at the outcome of the Peshawar-Jalalabad route, Alam said. Pakistan is home to millions of Afghan refugees, and illegal border crossings are common, reports the AP.

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