``The bus service has been running to capacity. The Kargil fighting has not affected the flow of visitors to and from Pakistan'', says M A Khan, officer in charge of the service.

``The passengers from either side comprise mostly those who have relatives on the other side of the border, with a sprinkling of businessmen,'' says the liaison officer of the bus, who accompanies the passengers on each trip.The people of both nations are crossing over into each other's territory, meeting relatives and going on sightseeing tours, harbouring absolutely no ill-will against each other as the four-month-old service quietly makes trips.

As the bus rolls into the heavily guarded Ambedkar Stadium bus terminal here, the mood of the milling crowds outside the closed gates ranges from heightened expectation to curiosity to plain incredulity.

``What do youthink Shabana would be looking like after more than a decade? She was a little girl when we saw her last. Is she the one in white or the one standing next to the pole'', asks a young man of his companion as they wait for a cousin.

The bus leaves Delhi for Lahore four times a week and takes around 11 hours to reach the Pakistani city. The fare is Rs 800 per head. ``Whether it is Kargil or Kashmir, for me the major attraction in coming to India has always been a reunion with my relatives,'' says Shaheeda, on a visit along with her husband and daughter.

``It is difficult to understand why certain vested interests on both sides of the border create problems and prevent us from meeting." "Even though we live in different countries and different societies, our hearts have always been one, always full of affection and love for those living across the border," says Shaheeda.

"This bus service has been a Godsend for us as we are now able to visit Pakistan more easily", says Hamid Latif Multani Quadri, an Urduwriter from Hyderabad just back from a three-month visit to Pakistan with his nephew."It was during my sojourn in Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan that the Kargil conflict erupted but not once did we encounter any feeling of enmity towards us due to our Indian origin," says Quadri, adding, "on the contrary the attitude of the people there was extremely helpful and loving".

"Problems and differences of opinion often crop up even in families but are resolved amicably. India and Pakistan, which are part of the same extended family, too should resolve their differences peacefully, thereby causing less problems to the citizens of the two nations," says the poet.However, the officer admits that there is a little bit of fear psychosis among visitors following the Kargil conflict.

"I was a bit scared coming to India this time but then we shrugged off these fears and decided to go ahead with our trip," says Shaheeda.