JODHPUR/JAISALMER: After suspension of Samjhauta Express by Pakistan, clouds of suspicion have been looming large on the fate of the Thar Express , which plies between Jodhpur and Munabao in Barmer, the last station of India and connects finally with Karachi in Pakistan through Khokhrapar, the first station in Pakistan.Started on February 18, 2006, after having remained suspended for 41 years, the Thar Express, comprising seven coaches and carrying 350 passengers on an average in each round, turned out to be a major source of transportation for the passengers from both sides.“The train leaves from Jodhpur’s suburban station Bhagat ki Kothi every Friday night and only 45 tickets have been booked by Thursday, with just a day left in departure,” said a railway official. Last week also, only 65 passengers had travelled to Pakistan from this train and about 257 passengers had come from Pakistan on Sunday in the return round of the train. Though according to the spokesperson of Jodhpur Division Gopal Sharma, there was no information or notification so far regarding the suspension or cancellation of the train, from either of the sides.But with the suspension of Samjhauta Express, the possibility of suspension of the Thar Express could not be ruled out either, amid the heightening tension between the two neighbours in the aftermath of the IAF strike at Balakot in POK on Tuesday. However, the passenger load in the train has plummeted tremendously in the wake of the spurt in the tension between the two nations.Though, the passengers travelling in the train pass through stringent security measures before boarding in Jodhpur, additional security measures have been put in by the security agencies. GRP and CID sleuths have been keeping a sharp eye on the train and the passengers.The train, once started from Jodhpur, stops only at Munabao, where the passengers pass through the custom checks before entering Pakistan’s territory. For six months, it is the Indian train, which enters Pakistan’s territory up to Kokharapar to drop the passengers, where they board the train taking them into the country and for the rest six months, train from Pakistan comes to Munabao to pick the passengers.The service is reviewed by both the countries time to time and accordingly extended. On February 1 last year, the service was extended for three years, up to January 31, 2021, but amid the present turbulent developments, mist of suspicion hangs on the fate of the train.

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