After Samjhauta, Thar Express to stop

New Delhi: A day after Pakistan stopped Samjhauta Express at Wagah, its railway minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed announced cancelling of Thar Express that connects Jodhpur to Karachi.

“Samjhauta and Thar Express will not run. I am stopping it now… As long as I am Railways minister, Samjhauta Express and Thar Express will not operate. That’s it. Let me see who runs them,” Mr Ahmed said in a press conference on Friday. Mr Ahmed added that though he wanted to stop the Thar Express immediately, Pakistan Prime Minister Mr Imran Khan gave the permission to let the last train go on Friday.

Indian Railway ministry officials said they have no formal information with regard to cancellation of Thar Express, and the train carrying 142 passengers will crossover to Zero Point in Pakistan as per schedule. A total of 107 Indian passengers and 35 Pakistani nationals had booked seats in the Thar Link Express that departs from Jodhpur at 1 am on Saturday and reaches Munabao (Barmer) at 7 am where customs and immigration formalities take place.

The two countries take turn to run the train across the border. From March 1 to August 31 every year, India takes the train till Zero Point in Pakistan, where it drops Pakistan bound passengers and picks those coming to India. From September 1 to February 29, Pakistan brings its train to Munabao in India.

“It is our turn to take the train to Zero Point and we will do that. We have no notice for cancellation of the train,” said an Indian Railway official.

Responding to this development, ministry of external affairs (MEA) said India can only request Pakistan not to take such steps.

“We regret it. This is their unilateral decision. We can only request them not to take these steps. But if they want to go ahead nobody can stop them,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Mr Raveesh Kumar on Friday.

Last evening India had to send its own engine and crew to bring Samjhauta Express from Wagah to Attari carrying 110 passengers.

The cancelling of train links by Pakistan is part of the plan it announced to pressurise India after it scrapped Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. Islamabad had announced downgrading of diplomatic relations, stopping bilateral trade and reviewing all other bilateral arrangements after India’s move in J&K.

India has termed these as unilateral actions. “Actions taken by Pakistan is unilateral. This has been done without consulting us. We have urged them to reconsider their decision. Our sense is that whatever is being done by Pakistan is to present an alarming picture of bilateral relationship,” Mr Raveesh Kumar said on Friday.

Thar Express runs once a week - on Saturday - connecting Jodhpur to Karachi. The Thar Link train departs from Bhagat Ki Kothi (near Jodhpur) to Munabao station in Barmer while the Thar Express coming from Karachi reaches the Zero Point.