China and Pakistan deepen their ‘friendship’ with a new bus service connecting both countries

• A new initiative under the flagship of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) includes the launch of a new bus service between the two countries.
• The bus service, likely to begin on November 03, 2018, is aimed at boosting the relationship between India and China.
• It will start from Lahore in Pakistan and terminate at Kashgar in China.

Amid increasing tensions in the Sino-India relationship, China and Pakistan are all set to begin a bus service between the two countries going from Lahore to Kashgar. While the bus service is an attempt at increasing ‘friendship’ between the two nations, the issue lies in the fact that the bus route passes through Azad Kashmir (Pakistan occupied Kashmir).

That particular region has been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan for years now. In fact, the disagreement has made its way into one too many international conferences.

It’s suspected to be one of the primary reasons that India has declined to be a part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) citing to ‘security concerns’.

Here’s an insight into the new Sino-Pak transport service:

A Private stakeholder to govern the Pakistan-China bus service

The bus will take 30 hours to cover the distance nearly 900kms between Lahore in Pakistan to Kashgar in China.

North-South Transport Network will be in charge of all the operations and functions related to the Pakistan-China bus service. They’ve indicated that the transport services are likely to commence from 3rd November 2018.

Boosting ties between Pakistan and China

The bus service is launched under the flagship “China-Pakistan Economic Corridor” or CPEC project and aims to boost the friendly relations between the two countries. The two countries already have a road link which is primarily used for trade. The bilateral relationship between India’s two neighbouring countries will also inch closer after Imran Khan’s visit to Beijing on November 2.

The trip will be available four days a week.

The bus will run from Saturday to Tuesday in a week from Pakistan to China, whereas people coming from China to Pakistan can avail the services from Tuesday to Friday, according to a newspaper from Pakistan.

The ticket fare of the bus for one time trip from Pakistan to China will be ₹13,000 whereas it will cost ₹23,000 for the same journey beginning from China and ending in Pakistan.