British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, in Afghanistan during a trip to the region, said the move would make a big difference to people's lives on either side of the frontier and hoped it would lead to other measures.

"I warmly applaud the efforts of both India and Pakistan to make this happen," Straw said in a statement released from London.

"This spirit of cooperation will, I hope, lead to many more measures that will benefit all in the region."

In Islamabad earlier, visiting Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Kasuri told a press conference that the service would begin on April 7.

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