Indian Railways ask Pak for a meeting to save Samjhauta

The Indian team for the discussions would include transportation and maintenance officers, the release said, adding Pakistani Railways has also been requested to include officers from their corresponding departments.

Of late, the running of the Samjhauta Express train between the two countries has come into focus with the Pakistani authorities threatening to discontinue it, alleging that the Indian Raillway were not fulfiling the conditions of the pact for rolling stock, which Indian authorities deny.

At present, the train is running twice a week between India and Pakistan. The Indian train, known as Samjhauta Express one, runs from Amritsar to Attari while the Pakistani train, called Samjhauta Express two, runs from Lahore to Attari. Passengers get down at Attari for being transferred to their respective trains.

Sources said during the last two years the Indian Railway Board had written as many as 11 letters to their Pakistani counterpart for a meeting to sort out the problems of maintenance and rolling stocks, but received no response. The last communication sent in this regard was as recent as two months ago, they added.

The railway sources stoutly denied Pakistani allegations that India has failed to provide rolling stock for the train.

Railway Ministry sources said the original agreement for running the Samjhauta Express between India and Pakistan was signed in 1976, under which a daily train was to run between Amritsar and Lahore.

After renewal of the agreement in 1986, up to 1991, a daily train was running between Lahore and Amritsar. It was reviewed then, and decided to have a twice-a-week train because of operational problems. But it was unilaterally discontinued by Pakistan after the Babri Masjid incident in 1992, they said.

The train was again started after a gap of few months, and it was decided to run the trains from Amritsar to Wagha and Lahore to Attari for the convenience of customs check-up and other formalities. Since then, this arrangement had been continuing and Pakistani authorities had never objected, the sources said.

They further said it was found that if the Indian rolling stocks go to Wagha and beyond or the Pakistani rolling stocks come to Amritsar, it would pose the problem of maintenance and security.

However repeated requests for discussions to Pakistani authorities by Indian Railway authorities has elicited no response so far.