Samjhauta Express suspended amid India-Pakistan tension

Lahore, Feb 28: Pakistan authorities on Thursday cancelled operations of the Samjhauta Express in wake of rising tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi.

According to Geo News, Samjhauta Express which runs between Lahore and Atari was scheduled to depart today (Thursday) at 8AM. Additional General Manager Pakistan Railways said the decision to suspend the train service was taken to avert any untoward incident in light of heightened security concerns.

Tensions between Pakistan and India have been high following the Pulwama attack in occupied Kashmir. India without any proof blamed Pakistan for harbouring militants behind the attack. On Tuesday, Indian planes violated the Line of Control (LoC) and were forced to return owing to the timely response of the Pakistan Air Force. Pakistan on Wednesday confirmed it had shot down two Indian aircraft which had crossed over the LoC and taken one Indian pilot into custody.

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 22 July 1976 under the Shimla Agreement that settled the 1971 war between the two nations.