The Delhi–Lahore Bus, officially known as Sada-e-Sarhad (

Translation Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

: ''Call of the Frontier, hi, सदा ए सरहद; ur, )'', is a passenger bus service connecting the

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

with the city of

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

via the border transit post at Wagah near Attari. The Routemaster bus number 10 was of symbolic importance to the efforts of the governments of both nations to foster peaceful and friendly relations. In its inaugural run on 19 February 1999, the bus carried the then-Indian Prime Minister

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...

, who was to attend a summit in Lahore and was received by his Pakistani counterpart,

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi language, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime ...

at Wagah. In August 2019 Pakistan decided to stop the service in the wake of India revoking Jammu and Kashmir's special status. Officially launching its services on 16 March, the bus service was not halted even after the outbreak of the

Kargil War The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also referr ...

. The bus service was halted in the aftermath of the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, which led to a serious confrontation between the two neighbours.

Launching of the bus service

Since the

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

in 1947, travel restrictions were imposed and most road and railway links shut off. Following the example of the

Samjhauta Express The Samjhauta Express () was a bi-weekly train — Thursday and Monday — that runs between Delhi and Attari in India and Lahore in Pakistan. The word ''Samjhauta'' means "agreement", "accord" and "compromise" in both Hindi and Urdu. Unti ...

that was launched in 1976, the bus service was launched to permit divided families to visit relatives and to foster commerce and tourism. The bus service launch was a key element in the efforts of the Indian and Pakistani governments to improve frosty and tense relations with Pakistan, especially in the aftermath of the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests and the immediate Pakistani response of the Chaghai Hills tests. The bus had made its trial runs on 8 and 14 January, carrying officials of both governments. Vajpayee's bus journey and arrival in Pakistan was met with much fanfare on both sides of the border and worldwide media coverage. The inaugural bus also carried Indian celebrities and dignitaries such as

Dev Anand Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand (26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema, through a career that spanned over six decades. He was ...

Satish Gujral Satish Gujral (25 December 1925 – 26 March 2020) was an Indian painter, sculptor, muralist and writer of the post-independent era. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, in 1999. His el ...

Javed Akhtar Javed Akhtar (born 17 January 1945) is an Indian poet, lyricist, screenwriter and political activist. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 200 ...

Kuldip Nayar Kuldip Nayar (14 August 1923 – 23 August 2018) was an Indian journalist, syndicated columnist, human rights activist, author and former High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom noted for his long career as a left-wing political com ...

Kapil Dev Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj (Pronunciation: əpiːl deːʋ born 6 January 1959) is an Indian former cricketer. He was a fast-medium bowler and a hard-hitting middle-order batsman, and was named by ''Wisden'' as the Indian Cricketer of the Centu ...

Shatrughan Sinha Shatrughan Prasad Sinha (born 9 December 1945) is an Indian actor and politician. He is a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Asansol (Lok Sabha constituency), Asansol constituency as a member of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). Earlier he ...

and

Mallika Sarabhai Mallika Sarabhai (born 9 May 1954) is an activist and Indian classical dancer and actress from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Daughter of a classical dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai and space scientist Vikram Sarabhai, Mallika is an accomplished Kuchip ...

.Vajpayee drives across the border into Pakistan and history
/ref> Both governments soon promulgated the 1999

Lahore Declaration The Lahore Declaration was a bilateral agreement and governance treaty between India and Pakistan. The treaty was signed on 21 February 1999, at the conclusion of a historic summit in Lahore, and ratified by the parliaments of both countries t ...

, which pledged both nations to the peaceful resolution of bilateral disputes, especially that of the

Kashmir conflict The Kashmir conflict is a territorial conflict over the Kashmir region, primarily between India and Pakistan, with China playing a third-party role. The conflict started after the partition of India in 1947 as both India and Pakistan claim ...

and deployment of

nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

, while fostering friendly commercial and cultural relations.

Suspension

While the bus service had continued to run during the Kargil War of 1999, it was suspended in the aftermath of the 2001 Indian Parliament attack on 13 December 2001, which the Indian government accused Pakistan of instigating. The bus service was resumed on 16 July 2003 when bilateral relations had improved.

Travel significance

Despite suspension due to bilateral tensions, the Delhi-Lahore bus remains a symbol of desired friendship between the two nations. Since its inception, the bus has frequently carried trade delegations, diplomats and celebrities to both nations, attracting much media coverage. In consideration of the

Indian national cricket team The India men's national cricket team, also known as Team India or the Men in Blue, represents India in men's international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a Full Member of the International ...

's tour of Pakistan in 2004, the Pakistani government permitted 10,000 Indians to travel to watch the

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

matches in Lahore; many of whom travelled via the bus amidst great fanfare at the border; the gesture was reciprocated the following year when the

Pakistan national cricket team The Pakistan national cricket team or Pak cricket team, often referred to as the Shaheens (), Green Shirts, Men in Green and Cornered Tigers is administered by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The team is a Full Member of the International C ...

toured India.

Bus service details

The Delhi-Lahore bus is jointly operated by the

Delhi Transport Corporation Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is the main public transport operator of Delhi. It is the largest CNG-powered bus service operator in the world. History The Delhi Transport Corporation was incorporated in May 1948 by the Indian governme ...

and the

Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation or PTDC ( ur, ) is an organization of the Government of Pakistan. PTDC is governed by the Board of Directors and provides transportation to various areas and owns and runs several motels across the coun ...

. The bus service is operated from Ambedkar Stadium Bus Terminal near Delhi Gate in

and the Lahore-Delhi Bus Terminal at Gulberg-III near Liberty Market in

. For journey to Lahore, there is a DTC Bus every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and a PTDC Bus every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. As regards the return trip to Delhi, the DTC Bus leaves Lahore every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday whereas the PTDC Bus leaves Lahore every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The DTC charges 2400 for adults ($40 approx.), and 833 ($13.2 approx.) for minors. Children under age of 2 travel free. The PTDC charges Rs. 4000 ($65 approx.)for adult ticket since 1 November 2014 (the price before was Rs. 2000). Authorities on both sides maintain strict security screening of the passengers and the luggage. Hazardous materials are prohibited and valuables checked. Customs and immigration checking are performed on arrival in the Pakistani town of Wagah and at the first stop in India at

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...

. Passengers are required to carry their passports, a valid

visa Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

and their travel tickets and check in 2 hours before departure. The loss of tickets are to be reported to the police authorities. The DTC operated Bus is a

Volvo B9R The Volvo B9R is a rear-engined coach chassis built by Volvo. It can be built with bodies up to long and a maximum gross weight of . The B9R is equipped with a rear-mounted Volvo 9.0-litre 6-cylinder diesel engine under the floor, producing and ...

. Earlier, DTC had an Ashok Leyland Viking Bus with an Azad built body. The bus stops for meals and refreshment at Wagah and at the towns of Kartarpur,

Kurukshetra Kurukshetra (, ) is a city and administrative headquarter of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty ") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita". Legends According to the Pura ...

Sirhind Sirhind-Fategarh is a town and a municipal council in the Fatehgarh Sahib district in the Indian state of Punjab. Demographics In the 2011 census Sirhind-Fatehgarh had a population of 60852. Males constituted 54% of the population and female ...

and

in India. The duration of the entire journey is 8 hours, covering a distance of . The bus is

air-conditioned Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...

and carries on-board entertainment such as film shows, video and music players as well as a mobile telephone service.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delhi -Lahore Bus International bus transport in Asia Bus transport in India Bus transport in Pakistan India and the Commonwealth of Nations India–Pakistan relations Pakistan and the Commonwealth of Nations Vajpayee administration 1999 establishments in India 1999 establishments in Pakistan Transport in Delhi Transport in Lahore 1999 in international relations Nawaz Sharif administration