Goods train hit as Pakistan sits on visas of Indian drivers

The thrice-a-week goods train service between India and Pakistan,on the lines of the Samjhauta Express passenger rail link,has come to a halt at Attari.

The thrice-a-week goods train service between India and Pakistan,on the lines of the Samjhauta Express passenger rail link,has come to a halt at Attari following denial of visas to 14 Indian Railways drivers by Pakistan. The visas of 11 drivers expired last month; the other three,who had visas for up to December 22,made the last round trip on Wednesday.

The suspension of the service has hit trade between the two countries. Around 500 wagons laden with dry fruits and cement are learnt to be stranded at both Lahore and Attari.

Northern Railway officials confirmed the trains had stopped,adding that frequent requests to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi for renewal of the visas had got no response.

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The drivers had applied for extension of visas well in time. We have no drivers,today onwards,with permission to take a train into Pakistan, said Mangal Singh Sandhu,Assistant Traffic Manager,Northern Railway.

The last train ran on Wednesday,with Driver Shadi Lal and Assistant Driver Jagdish Singh making the round trip.

We had faced difficulties in visa formalities earlier too. But this time the problem is so serious that the service has stopped, Sandhu said.

It is learnt that the representations to the Pakistan High Commission made the point that failure to extend the drivers visas would stop the train.

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We have written to the railways authorities, said Rajdeep Uppal,a prominent trader of Indian and Pakistani goods. He said authorities here had expressed helplessness over the issue.

Incidentally,the stoppage of rail traffic between India and Pakistan will not affect the import of onions,as the vegetable is being brought by the land route.