Pakistan Railway authorities on Tuesday reported that decision to send Samjhauta Express train to India will be taken on Thursday after reviewing security situation in the neighouring country.
The train service was suspended on last Monday due to ongoing caste protests in India’s Haryana state.
Earlier, Pakistan and India decided to extend visas of stranded citizens by another week to facilitate them to return to their respective country after restoration of Samjhauta Train and Dosti Bus services.
Fresh rioting and arson erupted in India’s Haryana state in caste protests that have left more than 20 people dead, and New Delhi faced a water crisis after mobs shut down a key supply.
Thousands of troops with shoot-on-sight orders were deployed in Haryana after week-long protests turned violent, with rioters setting fire to homes and railway stations and blocking highways.
The Jat rural caste is leading the protests, demanding quotas be set for Jats for highly sought-after government jobs and for university places. Caste members say they are struggling to find places despite India’s strong economic growth.
India reserves places for lower castes to try to bring victims of the country’s worst discrimination into the mainstream. But the government policy causes resentment among other communities, who say it freezes them out.
The latest protests echo caste violence that swept the western state of Gujarat in August last year, leaving several dead.
That state saw weeks of protests by the Patidar or Patel caste, who demanded the same treatment afforded to lower castes.
