ISLAMABAD: The Samjhota Express service was suspended on Thursday for an indefinite period amid escalating tension between Pakistan and India.
The Samjhota Express – a bi-weekly train – runs from Lahore to India’s Attari. The suspension of the train service left 16 travellers at the railway station. A total of 21 people had booked tickets for the train, out of which five had cancelled their tickets. The remaining passengers were informed of the cancellation.
Immigration officials told reporters that due to the suspension of the Samjhota Express, the travellers would be sent to India via road through the Wagah Border. Preparations for the departure of visiting Indians, whose visas expired on Thursday, have been made.
The FO statement added that the train service will resume as soon as the security situation improves between India and Pakistan. Asif calls for political unity after India violates airspace
Tensions escalated dramatically between Pakistan and India on February 14 when a young man – a native of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) – rammed an explosives-laden car into an Indian military convoy, killing 44 soldiers.