December 18, 2003	Thursday	Shawwal 23, 1424

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

NEW DELHI, Dec 17: The only train link between India and Pakistan, suspended since an armed attack on the Indian parliament in December 2001, is expected to resume next month, possibly on January 1, official sources said on Wednesday.

Two days of official talks between senior represenmtatives of the railways of India and Pakistan on resumption of the Samjhota Express conecting the two countries would begin here on Thursday, they said.

A four-member Pakistani team led by Mohammad Iqbal Khatri, Additional General Manager of Pakistan Railways, arrived on Wednesday night via Wagah-Atari border to hold talks on the issue, the sources said.

An Indian delegation would be led by S.B. Ghosh Dastidar, Additional Member (Traffic) in the Railways Ministry.

Talks for the resumption of a defunct train link between Sindh and Rajasthan would be held seperately and later.

The minutes of the Thursday talks on the resumption of the Delhi-Lahore train would be signed on Dec 20, after the talks were concluded, the sources said.

The Samjhota Express between India and Pakistan was in operation since 1976, but was terminated on Jan 1, 2002, following the attack on Indian Parliament on Dec 13, 2001. The agreement, however, for continuation of the rail service was up to Jan 20, 2004.

Renewal of the Samjhota Express arrangement was to be decide and usually agreed every three years after a review by the two countries.