Pakistan’s transport authorities are in talks with bus companies to launch an 8,000 kilometre bus route from the Kashmir town of Mirpur to Birmingham in the UK.
Transport minister Tahir Khokher told AFP the eight-day journey would cost around 20,000 rupees (US$210), which is substantially less than flights, which costs around $1,000.
Birmingham is home to one of the largest concentrations of British Pakistanis in the UK, many of whose families originally came from Mirpur, which is one of the largest cities in Kashmir.
Khokker was confident that despite the fact that the route would pass through some of the most dangerous parts of Pakistan in the early stages of the journey, passengers would be perfectly safe.
The route will take buses through Pakistan’s troubled southwest province of Baluchistan, where Taliban militants, sectarian violence and a separatist insurgency make travelling in the region fraught with danger.
"Officials in Baluchistan have assured me of providing foolproof security," said Khokker.
After passing through Pakistan, the route will traverse Iran, Turkey and Europe before arriving in Birmingham.
Authorities have not yet set a date for the service to commence.
