Ambala, March 6
Pakistani cricket fans, keen to watch the Indo-Pak cricket Test, will not reach Chandigarh by train.
The special trains, which were scheduled to run between Attari and Chandigarh, were cancelled this afternoon. All four trains were cancelled after a communique was received from Pakistan Railways. The trains were cancelled due to ‘technical reasons’.
As per the earlier plan, while two special trains were to run today, two more special trains were slated to run tomorrow.
The Divisional Railway Manager, Ambala, said, “We have received information from Pakistan Railways that it will not run the trains. It has cited technical reasons for the cancellation,” he said.
A Railways official said they had made suitable arrangements to receive the Pakistan cricket fans who wanted to undertake the train journey from Attari to Chandigarh. He said this afternoon, their train was ready, when they received the message that the trains had been cancelled.
ATTARI/WAGAH: The Pakistan Railways’ decision to cancel the trains scheduled to bring Pakistani cricket fans from Lahore came as a rude shock for Indian Railways.
According to information, 1729 Pakistani fans had entered India till the filing of this report and more were expected to arrive after the retreat ceremony. The Punjab Cricket Association made special buses available to take them to Mohali.
Pakistani cricket enthusiasts were accorded a rousing reception. Bonhomie was in the air as they greeted one other with warmth.
Septuagenarian Fatima Bibi, who was part of the contingent, felt that this match was an opportunity for her to visit her ancestral house at Patiala.
According to Mr Rafique of Lahore, the match had given the opportunity to several persons to revive their old family ties and to see ancestral houses and localities.
Mr Tanvir Ahmad had a grouse that they were not provided with a visa to enter the holy city. “Our family is Amritsari”, he said.
The Test gave an opportunity to Mr Mohammad Ashraf Qadri, a religious leader of the Sufi sect from Lahore, to meet his followers in India.
The Border Security Force and the district administration put up stalls for providing visitors with water, tea and snacks at the border to make them comfortable. The Amritsar Games Association welcomed the visitors and NGOs like Folklore Research Academy, Hind-Pak Dosti Manch, International Punjabi Cultural Society and Punarjyot also provided refreshments to the Pakistani guests.
The Test match became the cause of the reunion of a father and his three sons after 20 years. Partition had separated 95-year-old Ibrahim, resident of Chabbal, from his three sons, Najib Ahmad, Bashir Ahmad and Munir Ahmad. Mr Ibrahim had stayed back in India along with one son and two daughters.
Mr Ibrahim, who was suffering from a hip injury, was brought in a medical van. He said the visa restrictions and bitter relations between the two countries had prevented the family from meeting.
