India-Pakistan transportation to be resumed

New Delhi, Dec 31 (UNI) India has ended its 'alert' along the border with Pakistan and transportation links between the two countries are being resumed after these were suspended due to political turmoil in that country in the aftermath of the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Official sources said the border 'alert' announced in the wake of the developments in Pakistan, had been ended in view of the improvement of the situation there.

The scheduled bus services between Delhi and Lahore, Amritsar and Nankana Sahib and Amritsar and Lahore, were being resumed, an External Affairs Ministry spokesman said today.

Bus services between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad and Poonch and Rawalakot will also run as per their existing schedules.

The bi-weekly Samjhauta Express resiumed service yesterday and has departed as scheduled.

The Thar Express, running between Munabao and Khokrapar, however, remains suspended on the advice of Pakistan Railways.

Instructions have been issued for extension of visas of Pakistani nationals who were to travel on this service by a week.

Pakistani nationals who intended to travel on this service and need to travel back to Pakistan, have been asked to urgently approach the concerned FRROs at Mumbai, Delhi and Amritsar and FROs at Jodhpur and Ahmedabad, for obtaining changes in visas to travel to Delhi for return by any of the scheduled bus/train services to Lahore.

Alternately, they may also approach the respective FRROs/FROs for making necessary endorsements on their visas to enable them to cross over to Pakistan at the Attari border on-foot, the spokesman added.

UNI