Pakistan stopped Samjhauta Express on their side at Wagah border on Thursday citing security concerns. The passengers were stranded briefly before Indian crew members and guard escorted the train back to Attari.
"When we received the information from the Pakistani authorities at around 2:14 pm, we assured them that there are no security concerns and the train should come here. However, we also told them that if necessary an Indian crew and guard will escort the train to Attari," a senior railway official told PTI.
Latest reports suggest that the Indian crew has moved the train from Wagah and will reach Attari shortly.
The Samjhauta Express, named after the Hindi word for "agreement", comprises six sleeper coaches and an AC 3-tier coach. The train service was started on July 22, 1976 under the Simla Agreement that settled the 1971 war between the two nations. On the Indian side, the train runs from Delhi to Attari and from Lahore to Wagah on the Pakistan side.
Earlier this year in February, Pakistan had cancelled the train service as tensions grew between the two nations after the Pulwama terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir. Later, India cancelled the train
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Since the bilateral trade between India and Pakistan is low following the 2019 Pulwama attack, many experts believe that New Delhi will not feel the pinch of the fresh stand-off. The total aggregate volume of bilateral trade between India and Pakistan stood at $2.40 billion in 2017-18.
(With PTI inputs)