India revives Samjhauta Express service after Pakistan tries to provoke by halting it at Attari-Wagah border

A spooked Pakistan on Thursday tried to provoke India by halting Samjhauta Express service. As per Attari station master AK Gupta, Pakistan authorities said that ir driver and guard h refused to take over train as y did t want to enter India. As per Gupta, Pakistani authorities asked India to send crew to take back train.

Indian engine n crossed over border in Attari with a staff of three and brought back Samjhauta Express taking passengers to India. train was stuck at border since 9.00 am. Uma Shankar Yav driver said before leaving for Pakistan, "Three staff will be going to bring back train "

Pakistan spins a new tale over Samjhauta

However, as per reports from neighbouring country it appears that Pakistan government is trying to sensationalise issue with a narrative that it has closed Samjhauta Express train service with India. Federal Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Thursday, a day after Islamab downgred diplomatic ties with New Delhi. "Till I am Railways minister, Samjhauta Express train service will t operate," he was quoted as saying by Geo TV. dressing a press conference here, Rasheed said bogies of Samjhauta Express will w be used for passengers travelling on occasion of Eid.

Last time, operations of Samjhauta Express were suspended on February 28, following Pulwama terror attack that was carried out by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed or JeM that killed more than 40 CRPF jawans on February 14. But it was resumed shortly later. 

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Samjhauta Express

Samjhauta Express is  four-deces-old train service between India and Pakistan.  move by Islamab comes in aftermath of abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35 (A) by BJP-led Central government that provided special rights and status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Samjhauta Express, commonly called Friendship Express, is a bi-weekly train--Thursday and Monday--that runs between Delhi and Attari in India and Lahore in Pakistan since 1976 after Shimla Accord between two countries.   word Samjhauta means "agreement", "accord" and "compromise" in both Hindi and Urdu.

It was a daily train when service started and changed to a bi-weekly schedule in 1994. border crossing takes place between Wagah in Pakistan and Attari in India.
Meanwhile, calling its steps in Jammu and Kashmir as an "entirely internal affair", India on Thursday rejected Pakistan's unilateral move to downgre diplomatic ties and asked Islamab to review m so that rmal channels for diplomatic communications are preserved. 

On Thursday, after a meeting of National Security Council chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan decided to downgre diplomatic ties. It asked India to withdraw its High Commissioner to Pakistan and also decided t to send its High Commissioner-designate to New Delhi. It also partially shut off its air and suspended bilateral tre with India.

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(With ncy inputs)