ISLAMABAD: As a special gesture to mark the February 18 inaugural run of the Thar Express, connecting Sindh in Pakistan to Rajasthan, India has decided to extend the facility of visa on arrival to around 250 Pakistani journalists and scores of officials.

It is for the first time since Independence that the facility is being provided to any one from Pakistan. The train service, being revived after a gap of 41 years, has evoked overwhelming response from the people of Sindh province. The provincial Government has already forwarded a list of 150 journalists from the province to the Indian High Commission here. The final list is expected to exceed 200 despite the stipulation that only one journalist per organisation can board the train.

The train, the first land link between India and southern Pakistan since the 1965 war, is a boon to the divided families of Sindh in Pakistan and Rajasthan and Gujarat in India. In the absence of a direct link, the people of Sindh and the port city of Karachi, who constitute roughly 70 per cent of the Indian visa seekers, are forced to take a circuitous route.

For example, the people of Sindh wanting to travel to Rajasthan and Gujarat had no option but to pass through the Wagah border in Punjab province. Likewise, the people of Rajasthan and Gujarat travelling to Sindh were forced to take a roundabout route.

With the revival of the Thar Express the travel woes of the people would be reduced greatly. Little wonder then that Pakistan Railways had little difficulty in selling all the available tickets for the inaugural run of the weekly train.

The news of operationalisation of Thar Express would have gladdened hearts of people even more if only India and Pakistan had succeeded in re-opening their consulates in Karachi and Mumbai respectively as per the original plans in the first week of January. The re-opening has been inordinately delayed following inability of Pakistan to rent a suitable accommodation in Mumbai.

According to authorities there would be three categories of people on board the Thar Express on Saturday. The first category would consist of politicians and officialdom. Indications are that either the Governor or the Chief Minister of Sindh would make the inaugural trip.

The second category would be reporters and camerapersons. They have been asked to carry their passports. A group of Indian immigration and customs officials would get on the Thar Express once it reached the zero point and stick visa stickers on the passports. The journalists would reach the Indian mission by February 16.

The third category on board the train would be ordinary passengers crossing into India for their onward journey to destinations as approved in their visas. These would mostly be people visiting India for a reunion with families and friends.

In the longer run the rail route could be used for trade purposes as well though India and Pakistan are yet to arrive at an understanding on this. The recent agreement between Islamabad and New Delhi on reviving the Thar Express is limited to running a passenger train.

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