Amritsar, May 7
Thousands of Pakistani nationals who entered India by the Samjhauta Express in the last decade have been missing posing a security risk. In 2000 alone more than 8,000 Pakistanis did not go back to their country creating a problem for intelligence and security agencies.
According to highly placed sources more than 50,000 Pakistani nationals went missing after reaching India. Some of them married in India and did not go back. Though Deputy Prime Minister, Lal Krishan Advani reportedly had directed the Home Department to locate the ‘missing’ Pakistanis, yet little could be achieved in this regard.
In 2000, 1019 Pakistanis who had got visa for Uttar Pradesh went missing. Detail of the missing persons in other cities/states is: Delhi — 61, Rajasthan — 385, West Bengal — 339, Bihar — 690, Madhya Pradesh — 425, Andhra Pradesh — 530, Karnataka — 43, Himachal Pradesh — 8, Haryana — 90 and Tamil Naidu — 234. While the persons who had come here on long-term visa (LTS) in the same year and did not return to Pakistan is: Punjab — 40, Gujarat — 1210, Kerala — 121, UP — 460, Karnataka — 102, J&K — 18, Mumbai — 1154 and Kolkata — 70.
The security agencies of the country for this reason have been opposing the resumption of the Samjhauta Express. Senior officials are of the view that real danger comes from the officials of Pakistan’s Military Intelligence, ISI, Geographical Section and Air Force intelligence who come on valid visa for three months and carry out espionage activities. Such Pakistani officials possess multi-passports and it is difficult, for the Indian agencies to catch them.
During checking at Attari a huge cache of arms ammunition, fake currency were recovered from the passengers of the Samjhauta Express in the past. In 1995, Pakistan-made pistols and brown sugar was recovered while in 1996, 21 kg heroin, 15 pistols and seven mausers with magazines
were recovered. In 1997 arms and ammunitions were seized while in 1998, 15 kg heroin, six pistols and ammunition was recovered.
Pakistan Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali has already announced that his country was ready to restore air bus and rail links.
The Samjhauta Express also called ‘train of emotion’ has been infamous for the smuggling of narcotics, fake currency and fire-arms as it was being used by the ISI for its designs. Introduced in September 1975 the bi-weekly train was stopped from January last year after attack on Indian Parliament is the only rail link between the two countries. Earlier it was interrupted for a fortnight in the aftermath of Operation Bluestar in 1984 and, later, during the Babri Masjid demolition at Ayodhya in December 1992.
The road link was opened up to facilitate the transfer of a large population in 1947. However, it was the starting of the train services in the early fifties between Lahore and Amritsar, en route Delhi, that had helped to ease tension and normalise relations while becoming a convenient carrier of men and material.
The historic Simla Agreement of 1972 between the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Pakistani counterpart Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had agreed to several bilateral protocols, inlcuding the establishment of a rail link.
The Samjhauta Express derived its name from the Simla Agreement and became a reality as both nations after prolonged parleys, decided to open the rail route in 1975 both for passengers and cargo.
