Islamabad/Lahore - Pakistan said on
Saturday it had cancelled a bus linking Lahore with India's
capital New Delhi, the last remaining public transport link
between the neighbours divided by a dispute over the Kashmir
region.
Islamabad reacted with fury this week after India revoked
the special status for the portion of Kashmir that it controls,
calling the action illegal, a claim New Delhi denies.
Pakistan has already cut two rail links, suspended bilateral
trade and expelled India's ambassador, all part of what it
called a diplomatic effort to protest against the decision.
Arshad Ali, tourism officer at Pakistan Tourism Development
Corporation that runs the Pakistan leg of the journey, told
Reuters the government had issued directives that meant the bus,
that departs Lahore six days a week at 0600 local time, was
suspended from Saturday onwards.
"The operation will remain suspended till further decision,"
he said.
Delhi Transport Corporation, that runs the service in the
other direction, did not respond to requests for comment.
The service, known as the "friendship bus", has long been
seen as a symbolic link between the two countries. Launched in
1999, it has run almost continuously since, including throughout
the last crisis between the two countries in February.
Travellers wanting to cross the border can still do so on
foot at the sole remaining open border post at Wagah, a process
that often takes several hours due to stringent security checks
by both sides.
Fewer than 200 people a day now cross the border in the two
directions, Indian and Pakistani officials at Wagah told
Reuters. One official said it was unlikely the border would be
closed despite the deterioration in relationships between the
rivals.
With no direct flights, the only other alternatives are
costly and lengthy indirect routes, often via the Middle East.