Transport between India and Pakistan

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Transport between India and Pakistan has been developed for tourism and commercial purposes and bears much historical and political significance for both countries, which have possessed few transport links since the partition of India in 1947. In 2019, all public transport links between the two countries were severed because of Pakistani protest at India's revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. The only way for travelers to make this journey is to cross on foot at Wagah. [1]

Contents

Background

Trucks on National Highway 1 (India), waiting to cross Wagah Border Trucks on NH1, waiting to cross Wagah border.jpg
Trucks on National Highway 1 (India), waiting to cross Wagah Border

The partition of India in 1947 led to the termination of most transport links between the newly independent nations of India and Pakistan. The Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948 had similarly divided the state of Jammu and Kashmir between the two rivals, causing termination of road links in the region. The line of control and the international border in the divided region of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab were major theatres of war during the Indo-Pakistani Wars of 1965 and 1971. The train connecting the Indian city of Jaipur with the Pakistani city of Karachi across the Thar Desert was destroyed when the Pakistani Air Force bombed the tracks during the 1965 war. [2] In the 1990s, the Line of Control (LoC) demarcating the informal boundary along disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir was the scene of exchanges of fire between Pakistani and Indian forces and infiltration of militants into Indian-side. The Kargil War of 1999 broke out when Indian force sought to repel militants and Pakistani soldiers who had infiltrated across the LoC.

In 1977, both nations launched the Samjhauta Express connecting the Indian city of Attari with the Pakistani city of Lahore. Since the successful launch of the Delhi-Lahore Bus in 1999, both nations have worked to established multiple bus and train services connecting cities across the borders in the Punjab region, Sindh, Rajasthan as well as between disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir across the Line of Control (LoC) –the boundary line denoting rival areas of control in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir, which is not an official international border. [3] [4] [5] India and Pakistan have no official trade relations due to ongoing tensions.

Bus services

The Delhi-Lahore Bus is a passenger bus service connecting the Indian capital of Delhi with the city of Lahore, Pakistan via the border transit post at Wagah, which is the only border crossing point between India and Pakistan opened for international travelers. The bus was of symbolic importance to the efforts of the governments of both nations to foster peaceful and friendly relations. [6] In its inaugural run on 19 February 1999, the bus carried the then-Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was to attend a summit in Lahore and was received by his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif at Wagah. [6] [7] Its official name is the Sada-e-Sarhad (Urdu for Call of the Frontier). [7] The duration of the entire journey is eight hours, covering a distance of 530 km (329 mi). [8] While the bus service had continued to run during the Kargil War of 1999, it was suspended in the aftermath of the 2001 Indian Parliament attack on 13 December 2001, which the Indian government accused Pakistan of instigating. [9] The bus service was resumed on 16 July 2003 when bilateral relations had improved. [7] This service was suspended in 2019, as a result of Pakistani protest at the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. [1]

In 2003, after a ceasefire in Kashmir improved bilateral relations, the two governments worked on the proposal for a bus connecting the city of Srinagar (India) to the city of Muzaffarabad (Pakistan) (Srinagar–Muzaffarabad Bus). [3] The official agreement was promulgated on 16 February 2005 when the then-Indian Minister of External Affairs K. Natwar Singh visited Pakistani President Pervez Musharaff in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. [3] The decision was announced along with agreements on establishing the Thar Express train service. The bus ran a distance of 183 kilometres and was officially launched on 7 April 2005 and was flagged-off by the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. [3] [5] The service was suspended for after 2005 Kashmir earthquake due to after effects of road damage.

A bus service connecting Poonch (India) with Rawalkote (Pakistan) over 55 km was also launched on 20 June 2006. On 5 June 2008 the passenger quota on the Poonch–Rawalkote bus was doubled. Bus services connecting Kargil (India) with Skardu (Pakistan), Jammu (India) with Sialkot (Pakistan) and Mirpur (Pakistan) are also being planned. [10] [11]

The Indian official position viewed the Srinagar–Muzaffarabad bus service as a "humanitarian measure without prejudice" and not affecting the rival policies and stands of the two governments on the Kashmir dispute. [3] Both governments announced that Indian and Pakistani citizens could travel anywhere in Indian Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistani Azad Kashmir, including the Northern Areas of Pakistan, which are part of India's claim on Jammu and Kashmir and pre-1947 Jammu and Kashmir. [3] In India, all citizens would have to apply at the Regional Passport Office in Srinagar, which was the designated authority to evaluate applications, verify identities and issue entry permits. [3] As of 25 September 2019 all transport routes have been closed between India and Pakistan after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. [3]

Rail services

As per the Shimla Agreement of 1972 and in a bid to restore peaceful ties after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, both nations launched the Samjhauta Express (Samjhauta means "accord" or "compromise" in Hindi and Urdu), connecting the Pakistani city of Lahore with the Indian town of Attari, which is close proximity to the city of Amritsar. [12] The Thar Express was launched to connect the Pakistani city of Karachi through the Khokhrapar station and the Indian city of Jodhpur through the Munabao station. [2] Plans and negotiations are underway to launch a train service connecting the Pakistani city of Sialkot with the Indian city of Jammu.

On 18 February 2007, 2 carriages of the train experienced alleged terrorist bombings near Panipat, Haryana in India. The 2007 Samjhauta Express bombings claimed lives of 68 people. [13] Both the Indian and Pakistani governments condemned the attack, and officials on both sides speculated that the perpetrators intended to disrupt improving relations between the two nations, There have been a number of breaks in the investigation of the bombings. As of 2011, nobody has been charged for the crime yet. It has been allegedly linked to Abhinav Bharat, a Hindu fundamentalist group in India. Other allegations also concurred on Lashkar-e-Taiba (a Pakistani-based terrorist organization). [14] A United States report declared Arif Qasmani to be involved in the attack. [15] The Thar Express is the other passenger railway link between the two countries, running from Karachi, Pakistan to Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. It was not discontinued after Partition but was after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. On 18 February 2006, it was revived after a period of 41 years.

In 2019, as a result of the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan's railway minister Sheikh Rasheed decreed that there would be no more rail transport links between India and Pakistan. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948</span> 1947–1948 war between India and Pakistan

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, or the First Kashmir War, was a war fought between India and Pakistan over the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir from 1947 to 1948. It was the first of four Indo-Pakistani wars between the two newly independent nations. Pakistan precipitated the war a few weeks after its independence by launching tribal lashkar (militias) from Waziristan, in an effort to capture Kashmir and to preempt the possibility of its ruler joining India. The inconclusive result of the war still affects the geopolitics of both countries.

<i>Samjhauta Express</i> International train between India and Pakistan

The Samjhauta Express was a twice-weekly train, Thursday and Monday, that ran between Delhi and Attari in India and Lahore in Pakistan. The word Samjhauta means "agreement", "accord" and "compromise" in both Hindi and Urdu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leh district</span> District of Ladakh, administered by India

Leh district is a district in Indian-administered Ladakh in the disputed Kashmir-region. Ladakh is an Indian-administered union territory. With an area of 45,110 km2, it is the second largest district in the country, second only to Kutch. It is bounded on the north by Gilgit-Baltistan's Kharmang and Ghanche districts and Xinjiang's Kashgar Prefecture and Hotan Prefecture, to which it connects via the historic Karakoram Pass. Aksai Chin and Tibet are to the east, Kargil district to the west, and Lahul and Spiti to the south. The district headquarters is in Leh. It lies between 32 and 36 degree north latitude and 75 to 80 degree east longitude.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baramulla</span> District in Jammu & Kashmir, India

Baramulla, also known as Varmul in Kashmiri, is a City and municipality of the Baramulla district of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is also the administrative headquarters of the Baramulla district, located on the banks of the River Jhelum downstream from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. The town was earlier known as gateway of Kashmir, serving as the major distribution centre for goods arriving in Kashmir valley through the Jhelum valley cart road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lahore Declaration</span> 1999 bilateral agreement and governance treaty between India and Pakistan

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kargil</span> Town in Indian-administered Ladakh, Kashmir region

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The Thar Express was an international passenger train that ran between the Bhagat Ki Kothi a suburban area of Jodhpur in the Indian State of Rajasthan and Karachi Cantonment of Karachi in the Pakistani Province of Sindh. The name of the train is derived from the Thar Desert a sub-continental desert, which lies in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent and ranks 17th in the world covering an area of 200,000 km2 (77,000 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India–Pakistan relations</span> Bilateral relations

India–Pakistan relations are the bilateral ties between the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The two countries have a complex and largely hostile relationship that is rooted in a multitude of historical and political events, most notably the partition of British India in August 1947. The India–Pakistan border is one of the most militarised international boundaries in the world. Northern India and most of modern-day Pakistan overlap with each other in terms of their common Indo-Aryan demographic, natively speaking a variety of Indo-Aryan languages.

The Pakistan Rangers are a pair of paramilitary federal law enforcement corps' in Pakistan. The two corps are the Punjab Rangers and the Sindh Rangers. There is also a third corps headquarters in Islamabad but is only for units transferred from the other corps for duties in the federal capital. They are both part of the Civil Armed Forces. The corps' operate administratively under the Pakistan Army but under separate command structures and wear distinctly different uniforms. However, they are usually commanded by officers on secondment from the Pakistan Army. Their primary purpose is to secure and defend the approximately 2,200 km (1,400 mi) long border with neighbouring India. They are also often involved in major internal and external security operations with the regular Pakistani military and provide assistance to municipal and provincial police forces to maintain law and order against crime, terrorism and unrest. In addition, the Punjab Rangers, together with the Indian Border Security Force, participate in an elaborate flag lowering ceremony at the Wagah−Attari border crossing east of Lahore.

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The 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing was a terrorist attack that occurred around midnight on 18 February 2007 on the Samjhauta Express, a twice-weekly train service connecting Delhi, India, and Lahore, Pakistan. Bombs were set off in two carriages, both filled with passengers, just after the train passed Diwana near the Indian city of Panipat, 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of New Delhi. 70 people were killed in the ensuing fire and dozens more were injured. Of the 70 fatalities, most were Pakistani civilians. The victims also included some Indian civilians and three railway policemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attari</span> Village in Punjab, India

Attari, also spelled Atari, is a village of Amritsar district in the Punjab state of India, 3 km from the Indo-Pakistani border at Wagah. It is situated 25 km west of the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, and is the last Indian station on the rail route connecting Lahore, Pakistan with the Indian capital Delhi. Attari village was the native village of Sardar Sham Singh Attariwala, one of the generals in the Army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.There is Virk green Farm at BusStand ,GT Road ,Owned by Dilbag Singh Attari,a Senior Criminal Defence lawyer of Punjab and Haryana High Court and District Courts,Amritsar.

The Delhi–Lahore Bus, officially known as Sada-e-Sarhad, is a passenger bus service connecting the Indian capital of New Delhi, Delhi with the city of Lahore, Pakistan via the border transit post at Wagah near Attari. The Routemaster bus number 10 was of symbolic importance to the efforts of the governments of both nations to foster peaceful and friendly relations. In its inaugural run on 19 February 1999, the bus carried the then-Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was to attend a summit in Lahore and was received by his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif at Wagah. In August 2019 Pakistan decided to stop the service in the wake of India revoking Jammu and Kashmir's special status.

The Srinagar–Muzaffarabad Bus is a passenger bus service connecting Srinagar, the summer capital of the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir with Muzaffarabad, the capital of the Pakistani-administered dependant territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir across the Line of Control (LoC)—the boundary line denoting rival areas of control in the disputed region of Kashmir, but which is not an official international border. The bus is of symbolic importance to the efforts of the two nations' governments to foster peaceful and friendly relations and follows the success of the Delhi–Lahore Bus, which was launched in 1999.

Mohammad Abbas Ansari was a separatist political leader and a well known Shia Muslim scholar, reformer, preacher and cleric from Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. He was known for his religious lectures and as a Kashmiri separatist, ex-chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, also founder & chairman of the Ittihadul Muslimeen also known as Jammu & Kashmir Ittihadul Muslimeen (JKIM) a Kashmiri nationalist Shia separatist political party which aims for Shi'a–Sunni unity in Kashmir & independence of Jammu and Kashmir from India through peaceful struggle. He is considered a moderate and has called for an end to violence in that region. He is Succeeded by his son Maulana Masroor Abbas Ansari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attari Sham Singh railway station</span> Railway station in Punjab, India

Attari Shyam Singh Railway Station is located in Amritsar district in the Indian state of Punjab and serves Attari and the Wagah border with Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Highway 1 (India)</span> National highway in India

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Peacebuilding in Jammu and Kashmir includes confidence-building measures at a nation-state level between the governments of India and Pakistan, track two diplomacy, as well as initiatives by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), institutes and individuals. The purpose of peacebuilding in Jammu and Kashmir include conflict prevention and reduction of hostilities in the Kashmir Valley. Many countries such as Russia, United States and China have also played a de-escalatory role with regard to tensions in the region.

This is a list of the land border crossings of Pakistan with its four neighbours, namely Afghanistan, China, India and Iran.

Pakistan's response to the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir started immediately after the revocation by India on 5 August 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pakistan cuts last remaining transport link to India over Kashmir dispute". Reuters. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Thar Express brings India, Pakistan closer". The Hindu . 19 February 2006. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "India, Pakistan seal deal on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus link". The Hindu . 17 February 2005. Archived from the original on 19 February 2005. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  4. ↑ "Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service to be weekly". Press Trust of India, Indiainfo.com. 25 April 2005. Archived from the original on 24 October 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  5. 1 2 "PM flags off Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service on April 7". Press Trust of India, Indiainfo.com. 12 March 2005. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  6. 1 2 "Delhi-Lahore bus service to start on March 16". expressindia.com. The Indian Express. 13 March 1999. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
  7. 1 2 3 "Delhi-Lahore bus leaves for Pak". rediff.com . Rediff.com India limited. 20 February 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
  8. ↑ "DTC's Delhi-Lahore-Delhi Bus Service". Delhi Transport Corporation . Retrieved 21 April 2008.
  9. ↑ Arundhati Roy (15 December 2006). "India's shame". guardian.co.uk. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
  10. ↑ "Kargil-Skardoo bus service welcomed". Tribune India. 17 March 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  11. ↑ "Beyond the bus service". Rediff.com . 27 April 2005. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  12. ↑ "Samjhauta only between Attari and Wagah". United News of India. 16 April 2000. Retrieved 16 May 2008.
  13. ↑ "Dozens dead in India train blast". BBC News . 19 February 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2007.
  14. ↑ "US review finds five warnings of Headley's militant links". DNA India. 8 November 2010. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013.
  15. ↑ "US sanctions Pak Lashkar man, cites his Samjhauta blast link". indian express. 3 July 2009. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016.
  16. ↑ "Pakistan suspends final rail link to India over Kashmir dispute". Reuters. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
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