Indo-Pak friendship train may go off track

Jaisalmer: Amid rising tension between India and Pakistan, the fate of Thar Express , the friendship train from Khokhrapar in Pakistan to Munabao in India, hangs in balance.

Although Pak citizens, who had come to India, are suddenly going back in droves, there are few Pakistani visitors to India.

The sudden downfall in number of passengers may provide Indian authorities a reasonable plea to terminate services of the train. The train has been running uninterrupted since February 18, 2006.

Cross-border passengers are not being given visa clearances like in the past. ������ The verification process has been toughened and authorities are deterring people to take the train,������ said an official from immigration department. He said Pakistani citizens had started going back soon after the terror attacks on Mumbai.

According to immigration office records, as many as 597 passengers went to Pakistan on December 20. Of them, 451 were Pakistani citizens and only 144 were Indians, besides two citizens from the UK. Similarly, 491 passengers came to India of which 207 were Indians and 283 Pakistanis , besides one person from the UK. On December 13, a total of 259 Pakistani citizens took the train back to Pakistan and 174 Indians were aboard the same train.

������ There are people who had visa clearance for longer duration but they are cutting short their stay in India and returning ,������ the official said. He, however, said he was not aware of suspending the train.