They said that under the 'Operationalising Road Transport Agreement 2005', Islamabad and Kabul had set up two standing committees to work out modalities for starting bus service between Peshawar and Jalalabad and Quetta and Kandhar.
The Peshawar-Jalalabad route standing committee met in Rawalpindi on Wednesday and finalised details of the bus service which would give tremendous boost to the people-to-people contact and daily bilateral trade between the two countries.
The Pakistan side was led by Joint Secretary Ministry of Communication Firdous Alam and the Afghan side was led by Deputy Transport Minister Mohammad Hashim.
The two sides agreed that daily five buses, with 40+ passengers each would leave Peshawar for Jalalabad, while six buses would come from Afghanistan to Pakistan. The trial run from Pakistan side would be initiated on March 15, and from Afghanistan on March 17 2006.
They said that travel would be on valid international documents, ie passport, visa and ticket, whereas border crossing formalities would be completed at Torkham.
They said that the NWFP government has already entered into a consortium of transport companies, 'United Group of Cos' to operate these buses. The fare would be Rs 300 from Peshawar to Jalalabad, and Rs 270 from Jalalabad to Peshawar.
Sources said that Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation has also conveyed its willingness to operate a luxury bus service in May on alternate days at a fare of Rs 800 per ticket.
They said that the other standing Committee (for Quetta-Kandahar) would meet in Kabul soon to finalise modalities for starting bus service between Quetta and Kandahar on priority basis.
Commerce and industry circles in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and NWFP are attaching great significance to the operationalisation of road transportation and the bus service as Pakistan's exports to Afghanistan are likely to cross $1.5 billion mark this year, which were just $25 million a few years back during the Taleban rule.