It promises to be Britain’s longest bus route – all the way from Birmingham to Kashmir almost 4,000 miles away. Plans have been drawn up for a bus service between the West Midlands and Mirpur, nicknamed “Little Birmingham” because of close historical and family ties between the two cities. The Mirpur region’s transport chief Tahir Khokher says the route will span seven countries including Iran and Pakistan – and include stopovers in Quetta, near the Afghan border, and the Iranian capital Tehran. Tickets for the 12-day trip are expected to cost £130, a saving of around £450 on the average air fare. Birmingham is home to the world’s largest population of Kashmiri expatriates, many having emigrated from Mirpur in the 1960s after being displaced by the building of a dam. courtesy
