Mohammed Abdullah of Srinagar was a happy man on Tuesday.
His name entered the record books for being the first person to get a ticket to Lahore on the Delhi-Lahore bus service, which will resume on July 11.
A beaming Abdullah, who is visiting Pakistan to meet his sister in Rawalpindi, hoped the service would continue uninterrupted.
"I am going to meet my sister after eight long years, I only have faint memories about her," the 20-year-old said while suggesting that air links between the two countries should also reopen.
The bus service was suspended following the terrorist attack on Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001.
The much-awaited booking opened at the Dr Ambedkar Nagar bus terminal in Delhi with state Transport Minister Ajay Maken issuing the first ticket.
The booking was supposed to start Monday, but was put off when the Delhi Transport Corporation did not receive the official orders from the Centre.
Terming the moment as 'historic', Maken said all arrangements for the resumption of the twice-weekly service were completed.
On the security issue, he said this aspect would be taken care of by central agencies of both the governments.
Asked whether any VIP would travel on the first journey, the minister said he was unaware as the decision lay with the central government.