KARACHI, April 25: A young man clutching a baby enters the Cantonment railway station and rushes towards the train whistling at the platform.

He approaches the guard and beseeches him to wait for a few seconds as his wife is trundling behind him with another baby and the coolie carrying their luggage.

The guard turns his head in rejection of the request and blows the whistle. The train steams off, leaving the family and many other "late comers" shouting and instinctively running after the train.

Outside the station, a wedding party stands in silence after hearing that the Karakorum Express had left for Lahore at 4pm. Their dismay is multiplied when they learn that they are not entitled to any reimbursement on their tickets.

The party was taking bride to Mansehra via Lahore for which they had reserved more than a dozen seats in the airconditioned section of the train. The wedding ceremony had taken place earlier at Chandni Chowk in Baldia Town.

However, the group was not to be blamed for arriving late at the station. First, the Hub River Road had been blocked by people protesting against water shortage. Then they found that all entry points had been closed along the M.A. Jinnah Road because of a religious procession.

People protesting against power breakdowns elsewhere and in the process caused further snarls-up and hindered their journey. "We had left two hours earlier than the train's departure time. But we were helpless. As we left the bride's house at 2pm, there were traffic jams all around," said Tahir Sarwar, the elder brother of the groom.

"Winding through various streets and narrow lanes of Baldia and Orangi towns, we finally arrived on the main road in SITE. Through Habib Bank, Manghopir Road and Rexer, when we arrived near the Zoological Garden, our vehicles were diverted towards Shoe Market."

And as they tried to enter the M.A. Jinnah Road, they found their path blocked by water tankers, minibuses and other vehicles parked horizontally on the streets. They moved onto the main road at Merewether Tower. By the time the party reached the station, the train had left.

Passengers in their dozens could not reach the station on time. The worst sufferers were those who had to pass through the M.A. Jinnah Road. Talking to Dawn, passengers argued that the authorities concerned should realize people's predicament and they be returned their ticket money. "After all it was a general problem, and we are not to blame for our late arrival," said a passenger.