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According to a media report on Monday, Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to restore the stopped ‘Dosti’ bus service between the two countries. The buses will resume in the early months of 2022.
It is a step that would help alleviate the travel hardships of people living in these countries and who need to travel across borders.
The decision was made during a recent visit by an Afghan delegation led by interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
The Afghan delegation’s top official stated that the security forces of both nations are awaiting final approval for the bus operation.
“Pakistani side welcomed the Afghan interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s request for resumption of Dosti bus services and assured that at most by the start of the next year, the bus service will resume,” the official was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune newspaper.
The bus service between the two countries was suspended in 2016.
According to the article, the reintroduction of the service will assist reduce foot traffic at border crossings and will benefit Afghan residents living in or near Jalalabad.
The visiting envoy also indicated an interest in launching similar services in the Balochistan region.
Pakistan has recently taken a number of goodwill initiatives, including making it easier for Afghan students to travel.
Since August 15, when the Taliban deposed President Ashraf Ghani’s elected administration and forced him to depart the nation and seek sanctuary in the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan has been under Taliban rule.