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Pakistan Suspends India-Pak Samjhauta Express Rail Link - Reports

© AFP 2023 / NARINDER NANUPakistani passengers from the Samjhauta Express arrive from Pakistan at Attari Railway Station, about 35 kms from Amritsar on September 29, 2016
Pakistani passengers from the Samjhauta Express arrive from Pakistan at Attari Railway Station, about 35 kms from Amritsar on September 29, 2016 - Sputnik International
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The trans-national train ‘Samjhauta’ (meaning Agreement in Hindi) functions as a ‘bridge’ between India and Pakistan. India's Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal had reiterated on Wednesday that the train would continue to run as usual as per its schedule.

New Delhi (Sputnik): Pakistan has suspended the operation of the Samjhauta Express, which connects the Indian railway station Attari with the railway junction in nearby Lahore, said the Pakistani media outlet Dawn. The train had been slated to depart from Lahore on Thursday, in accordance with its normal schedule.

The suspension of rail services between the two nations, which are currently embroiled in a heated stand-off, comes after India's Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal had ruled out any such action from India's side, saying that the train link will work as per its usual schedule.

The train has three air-conditioned and six sleeper-class coaches. Service started on 22 July 1976 under the Shimla Agreement, that settled the 1971 war between the two nations. The train, which normally runs between Delhi and Lahore, takes a whopping four hours to cover the 27-kilometre leg of the journey between Attari station on India's border and Pakistan's second-largest metropolis due to security concerns.

READ MORE: India Submits Data on Terrorists They Targeted in Kashmir to Pakistan – Reports

The situation between India and Pakistan remains tense, with frantic military activity on both sides of the border. According to Indian authorities, Pakistan shot down one Indian fighter jet on Wednesday morning and captured the pilot, who had managed to eject and landed in the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir. Pakistan's move came in retaliation following India's Tuesday airstrike on an alleged terrorist camp located within Pakistani territory.  India claimed its air assault as ‘pre-emptive and non-military' while Pakistan called it a ‘violation of sovereignty' . 

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