MUZAFFARABAD: Authorities in Pakistan are planning to launch a bus route from the Kashmir town of Mirpur to the British city of Birmingham – 8,000 kilometres away.
The mammoth journey will take travellers through some of the most treacherous and dangerous areas of Pakistan on their way to Iran, Turkey and Europe before reaching the Midlands city after around eight days, officials said.
Tahir Khokhar, the transport minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, told AFP that fares would be around Rs20,000 ($210), a fraction of air fares that are typically close to $1,000.
Birmingham has a large population of British Pakistanis, many of whose families originally hail from Mirpur, one of the largest cities in the Pakistan-administered part of the disputed Himalayan territory. Khokhar said he was confident of passengers’ safety, even though they will pass through the restive province of Balochistan, which is plagued by Taliban militants, sectarian violence and a separatist insurgency.
“Officials in Balochistan have assured me of providing foolproof security,” he said.
Officials have been working on the plans for three months and are in talks with a number of bus companies, Khokhar said, but no date has been set for the service to start.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2012.
COMMENTS (33)
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Most of the big inventions of mankind started with a dream. So Why Not.
I kept waiting to read the words "The Onion reported"... so i guess this is actual news? -_-
Good alternative to PIA !!!!
@Someone You are right, no one cares about Agni because the whole world knows India is a responsible nuclear power, unlike Pakistan, where the entire world community is terrified at the prospect of the Pakistani Taliban controlling the fastest growing nuclear arsenal in the world, in the next 3-5 years, instead of the the Pakistani army.
@Roy: Who cares about your Agni, Pakistan has a faster growing nuclear weapons arsenal system than India overall. Keep trying to catch up, you won't :)
First try and improve transport in the country before dreaming up projects like this.
This is Pakistans answer to the upcoming test of Agni VI - 8000 km ICBM...Pakistan matches it with an 8000 km busride. If Agni VI can deliver nukes upto 8000 km anywhere in Europe, the bus service will deliver various shades of Taliban fighters upto 8000 km anywhere in Europe. LOL..
@ antsnu g
Hilarious answer. Knowing Pakistanis, the whole bus load of people will disappear in Europe- even before it reaches London. All of them will then demand better facilities for themselves then their own citizens.
LOL. We dont have a proper bus service from Karachi to Islamabad; and here we are plotting trips to the UK.
Note to the minister: assurances given by officials in Balochistan means precisely nothing :p
@Giri: Don't worry, we are starting a bus service to Mumbai as well!! LOL
Does this bus run on water? BTW, good way for Pakistanis to escape out of the country and spread to more peaceful countries.
Can we finish the Lyari Expressway first? Plzz
lol...dats what i call pakistani minds..........
Go via china
The whole story is so wrong on so many different levels that no one will read my comment if I go into detail of each.
Ambitions come for free, don't they?
How did they cost our Rs. 20,000. Or is it just another pie in the sky scheme
Hahahahaha............is this a joke!!? The country doesn't have a decent transport system within the country and are dreaming of a bus service between continents????
This perosn Khokhar is devoid of any sense.
"Officials in Balochistan have assured me of providing foolproof security" sums it up nicely
Probably the most stupid idea I have ever heard. Fraction of price V almost 16 times more travel time!
Thats great and adventurous! I would also suggest the owner to stop at other metropoles such as Frankfurt, Sofia (Bulgaria) and Turkey (Istanbul). It could serve as a tourist/transport bus. Similar hop on/hop off services are pretty popular inside Europe. Doing 8000Km would be a benchmark and would attract lots of international travelers.
Looking forward!
hilarious.
It will be better to have rail links since Europe rail system is better and passing through Iran and Turkey it can be a good for regional trade.
I would take this bus without hesitation. Admittedly with a Pakistani passport, it would be tough but i would do anything to catch a glimpse of Persian, Anatolian and Mainland Europe heartland.