NEW DELHI, Feb 19: For Syeda Hasina, a Pakistani housewife, it seemed a miracle her family had missed the train.
But hours after two deadly explosions on the train killed at least 68 passengers, Ms Hasina said their initial feelings of elation have turned to despair as the family became caught in the tortuous visa rules that govern travel between the two countries.
“Everyone is saying how lucky we were to have missed the train. But no one is telling us what we should do now,” says the 32-year-old mother, her head covered by a black shawl.
The family’s dilemma reflects the convoluted decades-old rules applying to travellers moving across one of the world’s most militarised frontiers.
Ms Hasina and her husband Syed Mohammad Siddique were in India to attend a cousin’s marriage in the western city of Jamnagar, and visit other relatives.
Simply getting the visa took two trips from their home in Karachi to the Indian embassy in Islamabad. When they finally got their visas, it was for Jamnagar only.
Now stranded in a Delhi railway station’s waiting room, Mr Siddique’s anxious face speaks of his frustration with the rigidity of government regulations.
Their visas for Jamnagar mean the family cannot leave the station – but Indian railroad rules don’t permit them to stay in the railway station for more than 24 hours.
After settling his wife and children in a grimy railway waiting room, Mr Siddique ventured out to find a hotel room in the maze of narrow lanes outside the station. Each hotel turned him away.
“They said I would have to report to the police and get a clearance. But legally
I don’t have a visa for
New Delhi, so I could be arrested if I move out of the railway station,” Mr Siddique said.
“Every now and then, railway officials come to check how many hours we’ve spent. They tell us, ‘you’ll have to clear out,’ but where can we go?” asked Mr Siddique, his worried eyes roving over his son and two daughters sleeping on the floor.
“Allah has saved us from travelling on that train. He’ll pull us out of this too,” Ms Hasina said, reassuringly as she settled a blanket over the children.—AP