No visas for drivers halt India-Pakistan goods trains

When it comes to Pakistan, nothing is as simple as it seems. While the import of onions from Pakistan has come as a big relief to consumers in India, Pakistan’s lackadaisical approach towards trade with India means that transporting of goods by trains has come to a complete halt. Reason: the Pakistani government failed to renew the visas of 14 Indian train drivers this month.

The result of this tardiness is that more than 350 wagons filled with cement and dry fruits are stuck at Wagah and the Atari railway stations on either side of the Indo-Pak border.

The goods trains between the two countries run thrice a week, bringing mostly cement and dry fruits from Pakistan and ferrying items like yarn and cosmetics to Pakistan. 

The visas of 11 train drivers expired in November while the visas of the remaining three ended on December 22.

MS Sandhu, assistant traffic manager (Northern Railways) said the Indian Railways had sought the renewal of visas for all its 14 well in advance, but Islamabad simply sat on the request. “Now, the train service has come to a halt and we have put up a notice in this regard at the Attari railway station,” he said, adding that only the Pakistan high commission could explain the delay.

Sandhu added that essential commodities were not imported through the railways, so the delay in renewal of visas would not harm the interest of traders nor would it slowdown the imports of onions; but it would certainly inconvenience trade in general.

A trader, who imports cement from Pakistan, said he had made an advance payment in October for 5,000 bags of cement and was to receive 4,800 bags this month. “They had given me the date of December 20, but I didn’t receive it. Now, with the stoppage of the train service, it will be further delayed,” he said, adding that such delays hurt his business.

Meanwhile, more than 500 truckloads of onions entered India last week. Authorities said the imports might continue for a few dayus more.