India denies entry, turns back Samjhauta Express at Wagah

LAHORE: Indian authorities on Thursday denied entry to the Samjhauta Express train at the Wagah border and turned it back over security concerns in light of an ongoing protest by farmers in Indian Punjab.

Intially, Indian railway officials had told Pakistan Railways officials over a special hotline that farmers are protesting in the country and that there were fears of an attack on the train service.

The stationmaster at Wagah confirmed that the train, 215 passengers on board, had been stopped at the station in light of the security concerns.

Howver, later a green signal was given by the Indian authorities and the train reached the border only to be confronted with closed gates.

According to Indian media, several trains were either cancelled or diverted after protesting farmers blocked railway tracks at different places in Indian Punjab on Wednesday, the first day of their demonstrations to seek higher compensation for crops from the state government.

Between 200 and 300 passengers travel to and from India on board the Samjhauta Express on a daily basis, but the number of passengers rises when Indian Sikh pilgrims use the train service to visit their holy sites in Pakistan.