KARACHI, Feb 19: Passengers of Thar Express were given a rousing welcome here on Sunday morning when the train arrived at the city’s Cantt railway station.

The train was carrying more than 200 Pakistani and Indian passengers.

Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan was present when the train arrived at the station at 8.40am. The governor garlanded the passengers and presented souvenirs.

Dr Ibad expressed happiness over the completion of the “successful and historic” first run of Thar Express and said that through this train the people of Sindh would be able to make trips across the border and divided families would be reunited.

Some emotional scenes were witnessed when the passengers reunited with members of their families at the railway station in Karachi almost 41 years after the rail link was severed.

The governor said the re-linking of the two countries through rail was a major step but conceded that facilities at Zero Point needed to be improved. “Within a record time we have laid down the 146-kilometre long broad gauge track from Mirpurkhas to Zero Point. Things will improve with the regular train service,” he said.

The governor said the train would promote people-to-people contacts between Pakistan and India and promised that efforts would be made to overcome logistical problems and improve facilities for passengers.

“With every run of the train, positive changes towards better facilities will be witnessed,” he said, while congratulating the people of Sindh over the reopening of the Khokrapar-Munabao rail service.

He said that a visa facility would soon be available in Karachi, he said.

Later, Dr Ibad also greeted members of the MQM’s Rabita Committee, senators, MNAs, MPAs and representatives from the party’s elders wing who travelled through the Thar Express.

Earlier, the train departed for Zero Point at 9.00pm on Saturday night. People waited at Khokrapar, two kilometres away from Zero Point to greet the passengers from across the border. At every station en route to Mirpurkhas, people chanted welcome slogans.

A grand reception awaited the passengers. Stalls were erected by different political parties. Thousands of people sang songs of welcome.

Biryani and sweets were distributed among all the passengers at 2:30pm to the delight of everybody as nothing had been available for dinner at Zero Point.

People embraced and hugged the passengers and provided them anything they wanted free of charge. The unexpected welcome continued at other stations in Tando Jam and Hyderabad. –APP