KARACHI, Feb 28: The Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy on Tuesday welcomed the revival of the rail link between Khokhrapar and Monabao. It demanded opening of consulates in Karachi and Jaipur, issuance of visas for whole country instead of selected cities, and making the checking of passengers fast and effective.
At a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, Secretary General of the Forum, Ms Anis Haroon, said it was a long-awaited demand to open the Khokhrapar border so that divided families in Rajhastan and Sindh could see each other. She said steps should be taken to make peoples’ contacts easier between the two countries.
She criticized the lengthy procedure of checking of passengers at the newly built Zero Point railway station, and said the process should be expedited and effective measures should be taken to check passengers instead of making them stand in the desert.
Mir Sikandar Ali Talpur, President of the Forum’s Sindh chapter, said there was the Khokhrapar railway station, which should be used as an exit and entry point, as the newly built railway station at Zero Point was not feasible.
He said it was necessary to make the Khokhrapar railway station the main entry and exit point for boosting economic activity in the Thar area.
He pointed out that passengers were made to wait for hours on the pretext of checking on arrival from India at the Zero Point railway station.
The clearance of luggage and passengers should be expedited and the Narcotic Control Force should be ordered along with customs officials to check passengers so that precious time was saved in checking passengers twice and thrice.
All law enforcing personnel and customs officials should be directed to take measures that did not disturb or harass passengers, he said.
Mr Talpur urged the Indian government to open its consulates or camp offices in Karachi and Hyderabad for issuing visas to intending passengers while the Pakistan government should provide visa facilities at Jaipur and Jodhpur. The two countries should consider opening the sea route so that people could travel easily.
He said divided families wanted to see their families in far flung villages and they should not be confined to the cities for which they had been visas only.
He demanded the authorities of both countries to issue visas for the whole country instead of cities only. If possible, the citizens of Saarc member countries should be issued visas on arrival at airports or railway stations.
