Social organisations working for Pakistan Hindu Migrants want that the Indo-Pak border in Barmer, Rajasthan be opened up for people to cross over on foot. They will raise the issue with home minister Amit Shah when he visits Jodhpur on Friday to address a Janjagran rally in support of CAA. They feel that discontinuation of Thar Express, the train running between India-Pakistan through Munabao-Khokhrapar for over four months has adversely affected the divided families on both sides of the border. Further, it has put an end to the only cheap means of travel available to Pak Hindu Migrants seeking refuge in India.
Thar Express was discontinued by India from August 16 and is believed to be a fallout of security concerns arising after aberration of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Thar was discontinued a week after Samjhauta Express was discontinued by Pakistan.
“We will put the issue before the home minister and urge him to allow people to cross the border on foot when he is in Jodhpur on Friday. If this is possible in Wagha and people can travel despite Samjhauta Express being discontinued, it should be done on Rajasthan border too. India should engage with Pakistan on this issue as the train was being run as part of international relations for poor people” said Jai Ahuja, president Nimittkam, an organisation working for Pak Hindu Migrants, speaking to FPJ.
There are around five lakh Pak Hindu Migrants in Rajasthan and as many as two lakh persons have been given citizenship. Entire families of those who came in 1965 and 1971 are here.
“Those who have come since 1990 are the third wave, largely comprising, divided families on both sides of the border. They are poor and cannot afford to travel by air or through Punjab. A regime that is amending laws to give them citizenship is halting their means to cross the border – from the country where they face persecution. This needs a solution,” opined Hindu Singh Sodha, of the Seemant Lok Sangathan.
“Discontinuing the train is a decision taken by the govt of India. Thar Express was the only international train run by the North Western Railways and it had between 8 to 12 coaches according to the rush. There were no AC coaches and a ticket cost Rs 210. The rate is much lower than the Indian Railways rate, but this was because the train was being run for maintaining international relations and not for profit generation,” informed Gopal Sharma, senior public relations officer, NWR.
Thar Express had earlier run till 1965 between jodhpur and Karachi. It was stopped after the war and restarted on 18 February, 2006 after 41 years. Since then it was stopped for some weeks after the Barmer floods, but continued to run despite tension between the two countries, even after the Pulwama attack this year.
The weekly train ran from Jodhpur every night Friday night and returned from the border a day later. As many as 14 agencies including, RPF, GRP, civil police, CID, IB, Customs, immigration were deployed at Munabao, the last Indian station to facilitate the running of the train. An average of 350 to 400 passengers boarded the train on each side of the trip.
It was also a means of facilitating trade between the two countries. While Indian passengers carried clothes, medicines and food items. Pakistani travellers came with spices, dry fruits and shoes.
