Islamabad: In an effort to facilitate greater people-to-people contacts, India and Pakistan today (Mar 9, 2004) began two-day talks on running a bus service between Rajasthan and Sindh province.

An eight-member Indian delegation, led by Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Alok Rawat, arrived yesterday (Mar 8, 2004) to hold talks with Pakistani side headed by Jalil Abbas Jilani, Director General, South Asia in the foreign office.

The Indian delegation comprised officials from External Affairs Ministry, Ministry of Highways and Transport and Rajasthan Tourism.

During the talks, the two sides would explore possibilities to run a bus service between Munabao in Rajasthan and Khokrapar in Pakistan's Southern Sindh province, which has been closed since 1965.

If opened, it would be the second of its kind after Delhi-Lahore bus service.

The officials of the two countries would also meet on March 29-30 to discuss starting a bus service between Srinagar and Muzafarabad, capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK).

The meetings are a follow-up to the agreement between the two countries announced on October 22 last for starting these services as part of a series of confidence-building measures to normalise relations.