Pak-China bus service launch delayed

LAHORE: A bus service between China and Pakistan, which was set to be formally launched on November 3, has been delayed owing to the current security situation in the country.

A private Pakistani transport company, North-South Transport Network (Pvt) Limited, recently launched a bus service from Lahore to the Chinese city of Kashgar.

Officials of the private transport company said that the service was scheduled

to be formally launched from tomorrow and bookings had also been made, however, owing to the current security situation, its launch has been postponed till November 5.

The bus service will run from Lahore to Kashgar four times a week on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays while it will bring passengers from the Chinese city to the provincial capital on Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

A one-way ticket for the bus service costs Rs13,000 while a return ticket is priced at Rs23,000. The bus will take around 36 hours to reach the Chinese city and will stop at nine places. Further, passen-gers are allowed a baggageallowance of 20 kilogra-mmes.

The private transport company has also asked passengers to reserve their

seats at least one week in advance. Further, the company has said that the passengers are responsible to ensure that their travel documents are complete and are required to carry their original National Identity Card (NIC), passport and bus ticket with them.