KARACHI, July 12: Visitors from Rajesthan arriving in Sindh via the recently opened Munabao-Khokhrapar rail route have been facing great hardship on account of non-availability of a return ticket of Thar Express for a date within the period of their stay in Pakistan.

Those who visit Sindh to meet their relatives are advised by the home department to travel to Islamabad to get their visa extended or to Lahore to board the Samjhota Express.

Most of the Indian passengers of Thar Express belong to poor or lower-middle class who could not bear the expenses of long journey within Pakistan or in India.

Due to heavy rush, they would not be able to get a seat reserved for a date within a two-month period.

Pakistani relatives of a 16-member family from Barhmail, Rajesthan, knocked at the door of Kingri House to seek help from Pir Pagara, who is their spiritual leader.

They took the opportunity of journalists’ presence there on Wednesday to reveal their ordeal and asked for a solution to their problem.

Presenting their case, Jan Mohammad told journalists that his Indian relatives, most of them above 60 years of age, included five women. Their visa expires on July 28 and despite making best efforts over the past two weeks, they could not get tickets of Thar Express to return home.

The railway officials maintained that they could not help as there was no reservation for the next two months.

Jan Mohammad argued that there were 800 passengers travelling by Thar Express when his relatives came to Pakistan but now when they want to leave, the same train was lifting just 400 passengers as the railway officials had reduced the number of travellers.

He said that he and his relatives belonged to low-income group and could not afford travel to Lahore or Islamabad as advised by the relevant authorities as a solution to their problem.

The stranded family appealed to the governor, chief minister, and other relevant authorities to arrange for the return of Indian visitors within the period of their legal stay in Pakistan and rid them of the mental agony they were going through due to the situation.