Islamabad, May 11: Pakistan and India today agreed on a new cross-border bus service that will connect Lahore to Amritsar but could not announce the launching date due to technical modalities.

A bus service between Lahore and New Delhi also exists. After an 18-month stand-off, when the two nations were on the brink of war, the bus service was resumed in July 2003.

At a joint briefing after two days of talks, Mohammad Abbas, Pakistan’s additional secretary, communication, said: “All modalities have been worked out as a matter of fact but the date (of launching the bus service) depends on the operators of the two countries.” Alok Rawat, who led the Indian side for the talks, was with him.

The bus operators of both sides will meet in New Delhi in the next two months to discuss technical issues like routes, bus terminals, facilities for the crew, modalities of visa arrangements and protocol and the memorandum of understanding for the service.

The two countries have also agreed in principle to start another bus service between Amritsar and Nankana Sahib, said the joint statement issued after the talks.

Nankana Sahib is the birthplace of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion. His shrine also exists in the Pakistani town of Sheikhupura, some 400 km east of Islamabad. The modalities of the Nankana Sahib service will be discussed later in a technical-level meeting in New Delhi.

Rawat, who is the joint secretary for road transport and highways, said one more round of talks was necessary to enable the state-run transport corporations get the buses ready to run the 56-km Lahore-Amritsar stretch.

Although it was not announced, officials have worked out the fare structure and frequency for the bus. Both sides agreed in principle to run it once a week. The fare was decided as Rs 750 from the Indian side and Rs 900 from Pakistan.

Officials said it was unlikely that the bus service to Nankana Sahib would begin simultaneously with the Amritsar-Lahore one as the modalities and frequency are yet to be finalised.

Both the bus services had figured prominently in the joint statement issued at the end of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi last month. Prime Minister Singh and Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh had made strong pleas to Pakistan to run the bus service to Nankana Sahib.

The restoration of transport links remained central to the peace process, which began last January after an “ice-breaking” meeting took place between Musharraf and then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Islamabad.

In a recent statement, Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said improved relations between Pakistan and India offer a “unique opportunity” to the neighbours to settle the Kashmir dispute and build a better future for their people.