By IANS
New Delhi : India Friday cancelled all train and bus services to Pakistan, except the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road link, indefinitely following widespread violence in that country in the aftermath of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
Earlier senior ministry officials said the government would cancel transport links for a day after reviewing the situation in Pakistan.
But a ministry release later said services had been cancelled on security considerations with immediate effect until further notice.
According to the home ministry, the Delhi-Attari Link Express, Samjhauta Express, Munabao-Zero Point-Munabao Thar Express, Jodhpur-Munabao-Jodhpur Link Express train and the Delhi-Lahore bus service have been cancelled.
A ministry official pointed out that Pakistan Railways has been informed of this decision.
“We are monitoring the situation in Pakistan and it is in the interests of passengers that we have cancelled the services,” said a senior home ministry official.
However, the 170-km long Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service across divided Kashmir has not been cancelled. The service was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in April, 2005.
At least 22 people were killed in nationwide riots following Bhutto’s assassination Thursday evening with angry mobs torching dozens of vehicles and government buildings, ransacking banks and shops and clashing with police.
Most of the riots centred in the southern province of Sindh, Bhutto’s political stronghold. Thousands of distraught Bhutto supporters also took to the streets in Sindh’s provincial capital Karachi, blocked roads, burnt tyres and pelted riot police with stones.
Both the Amritsar-Lahore bus link and the Khokrapar-Munnabao rail link between India’s Rajasthan and Pakistan’s Sindh province have helped in strengthening the bond of friendship between the neighbours.