ISLAMABAD: Ahead of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s maiden visit to China on November 3, a private company said on Tuesday that it will launch a bus service connecting the two countries on the same date.
The North South Transport Network (NSTN) is undertaking the initiative under the flagship of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
The service, which commences on November 3, will be operational from Pakistan’s second largest city of Lahore to Kashgar in China. The journey itself is expected to clock 30 hours while providing a picturesque view of Pakistan's northern areas along the way.
While a one-way will cost commuters Rs13,000, a return ticket is priced at Rs23,000, according to state-run Radio Pakistan. According to the NSTN, passengers will be provided with meals, refreshment beverages, tea and snacks and free internet.
Pakistan and China are linked through a land route which is used for both trade and travel. In 2015, the two countries launched the CPEC, a flagship project worth $60 billion.
Both the countries maintain traditionally-close, cooperative and friendly ties in diverse fields. As part of his visit, PM Khan is expected to participate in the First China International Import Expo, in Shanghai, where Pakistan is exhibiting a wide range of export products.
Pakistan-China bus service to start from November
Pakistan-China bus service to start from November
- Luxury transport facility will take commuters from Lahore to Kashgar
- PM Khan to embark on his first trip to Beijing in less than a week
Pakistan president to visit Bahrain today to enhance trade, defense, security cooperation
- Asif Ali Zardari to meet Bahrain’s king and crown prince, discuss regional issues of mutual interest, says state media
- Trade volume between Pakistan, Bahrain has increased from $500 million to $1 billion in recent years, says Pakistan’s FO
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari is scheduled to visit Bahrain today, Tuesday, for a four-day visit aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two nations in trade, defense and security, state media reported.
Zardari will lead a high-level delegation during his visit to Bahrain from Jan. 13-16, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Monday. The president will hold talks with King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa and Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa during his visit on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
“The visit seeks to reinforce Pakistan’s longstanding cooperation with the brotherly Gulf nation while expanding opportunities for collaboration in trade and economic partnership, defense and security and people-to-people ties,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
Pakistan enjoys cordial relations with all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Bahrain. Islamabad and Manama established diplomatic ties in October 1971 after the Gulf country gained independence.
The trade volume between the two countries in recent years has ranged between $500 million to around $1 billion, according to Pakistan’s foreign ministry. Major exports from Pakistan to Bahrain include meat, vegetables, rice, tobacco and textile. Imports from Bahrain, on the other hand, include petroleum products, ferrous wastes and scrape and aluminum.
Pakistan and Bahrain have established a Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) at the level of the foreign ministers to discuss trade and economic ties, take decisions mutually and supervise the implementation of these decisions. So far, only two sessions of the JMC have been held, the last in Bahrain in July 2021.
Zardari’s visit also takes place amid increasing economic engagement between the two nations following the Pakistan-Bahrain Investment Summit in May 2025. Both sides signed contracts worth $13 million during the summit.
