GUJRANWALA: Due to the closure of train tacks owing to the countrywide protest against Faizabad operation, more than 150 schoolchildren en route to Lahore from Abbottabad were stranded at a railway station in Gujranwala.
The schoolchildren and their teachers said that the mobile phone batteries had died due to which they were unable to contact their families, and they had also run out of money to buy food.
According to details, the students – both boys and girls of grades between one and 10 – and teachers belong to a private school in Lahore who had gone for a trip to Abbottabad. They were on their way to Lahore on Sunday when their train was stopped at Gujranwala around noon due to a protest on the railway track in Shahdara.
The protest has led to the suspension of train service between Rawalpindi and Lahore.
The same train, in which the schoolchildren and teachers are stranded, has three grooms along with families, who were supposed to reach their respective destinations for their weddings. However, the railway administration has decided to send the train back instead of taking the risk of getting passengers stuck at another station.
The protests that erupted across the country after the operation at Faizabad Interchange had brought daily life at a standstill. Exam schedules, besides business, have also been affected due to the current law and order situation.
