Pakistan sets sights on 5,000-mile bus service to UK: report
Pakistani commuters travel on an overloaded passenger bus in Quetta, Pakistan, on Sept. 5, 2011.
Pakistani officials in the disputed Kashmir region are pursuing plans to offer a 5,000-mile bus service to Britain's Birmingham, home to a large Pakistani population mostly from the Kashmir area, reported Agence-France Press.
Nestled in between Pakistan, India, and China, the region is the subject of a longstanding territorial dispute between the three nations. The starting point for the proposed bus journey is the Pakistan-administered town of Mirpur, according to AFP.
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The proposed route, however, goes right through some extremely scary territory — the violence-wracked Baluchistan province, which is rife with Taliban activity, reported AFP.
Tahir Khokher, the region's transportation minister, told AFP Baluchistan's authorities "assured me of providing foolproof security."
Travelers would pay about $210 for the proposed eight-day journey, which would take them through Iran, Turkey and on to Europe, said AFP.
Indeed, Britain's "Wanderlust" travel website has already described the journey in glowing colors:
"This impressive bus journey is reminiscent of legendary overland services such as the Magic or Miracle Buses of the 1970s, which carried hedonistic thrill-seekers of yore to Athens, Istanbul and beyond."
No date has been set for the launch of the proposed bus service.
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