Pak Suspends Samjhauta Express Service Amid Prevailing Tensions
On Wednesday, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said there will be no change in the schedule for Samjhauta Express yet.
Pakistani authorities suspended the Samjhauta Express train service between Pakistan and India until further notice, an official said on Thursday, 28 February, amidst tense bilateral ties in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.
The train departs on Monday and Thursday from Lahore.
“The operation of Samjhauta Express has been suspended today (Thursday) in view of the prevailing tensions between Pakistan and India,” Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) spokesman said in a statement.
The biweekly train was scheduled to depart from Lahore with 16 passengers.
The FO statement came after a spokesman of the Railways said early in the morning that the train service scheduled to depart for India at 8:00 am (local time) was cancelled.
Dawn news reported that the train embarked on its journey from Karachi but stopped at Lahore railway station after officials suspended its service.
Train Departed on Time From Delhi
Earlier, on Wednesday, the Railways said the Samjhauta Express departed on time with 27 passengers onboard, amidst reports that Pakistan has suspended its operations between Wagah to Lahore on its side.
The bi-weekly train, which runs on Wednesdays and Sundays, was as per schedule from the Old Delhi Railway station with 27 passengers aboard – four in AC coach, 23 in non-AC coaches – it said.
The train does not have any commercial stops between Delhi and Attari.
‘No Change in Schedule’: Piyush Goyal
Originally, the train offered a through service with one rake going all the way between the terminals – Delhi in India to Lahore in Pakistan. However, now a Pakistani rake stops at Attari at which point passengers have to change trains and board an Indian rake.
The Samjhauta Express, named after the Hindi word for "agreement", comprises of six sleeper coaches and an AC 3-tier coach. The train service was started on 22 July, 1976 under the Shimla Agreement that settled the 1971 war between the two nations.
Sources said the footfall on the train, which generally records an occupancy of around 70 per cent, has fallen drastically post the Pulwama attack on 14 February in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.
Delhi-Lahore Bus Service Continuing: Official
The Delhi-Lahore bus service is running as usual, an official said on Wednesday, 27 February.
"The service is continuing. Even today, 10 persons boarded the Lahore-bound bus," Manoj Kumar, the managing director of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), told PTI.
The DTC buses to Lahore are operated from the Ambedkar Stadium bus terminal near the Delhi Gate. These buses ply every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) runs buses to Delhi on every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
The tension between India and Pakistan has escalated after Indian fighter jets struck inside the neighbouring country's territory, destroying the biggest terrorist training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) . The air strike came after the Pulwama terror attack which was claimed by the JeM.
An IAF pilot was captured by Pakistan after an air combat on Wednesday, 27 February during which the two sides said they shot down each other's warplanes that followed an unsuccessful attempt to target Indian military installations in retaliatory strikes that sparked fears of war.
(With PTI inputs)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)