Bus to Lahore: Pak team arrives next week

According to South Block officials, New Delhi has conveyed its acceptance of the proposed dates to Islamabad. The technical discussions, they added, will work out the modalities and remove any roadblocks in resumption of service.

The announcement on resuming the service was made on May 26 by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Coordination meetings involving the MEA, Delhi Government officials and the Delhi Transport Corporation soon followed and July 1 was agreed upon as the tentative date for re-starting the service which was stopped after the December 13 attack on Parliament by militants.

However, the entire process hinged on Pakistan finalising the dates to send its technical team. With Islamabad finally proposing the dates, sources said, matters can now be taken ahead.

Meanwhile, Islamabad has still not responded on granting overflight facility to Indian aircraft.

According to official sources, the entire effort to normalise civil aviation links — one of the areas identified by Vajpayee in his peace initiatives — hinges on the the question of overflights.

On being contacted, Pakistan’s acting High Commissioner in New Delhi Munawar Bhatty told The Indian Express that Islamabad saw the issue of overflights as one which should be taken up by a technical group of civil aviation experts from both countries.

‘‘We have told this to the Indian Government and the moment an indication comes from New Delhi, we will put in place a technical team just like we did in the case of the bus service.’’

Official sources here, however, pointed out that granting overflight permission was a much larger issue for which a political decision was required. They emphasised that it was not a matter which could be left to a technical group.