By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : The number of Pakistanis travelling to India on Samjhauta Express has sharply declined in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks.
The records of Indian Railways show that there is a sharp decline in the number of passengers coming from Pakistan through trans-national Samjhauta Express after the November 26 attacks in Mumbai.
The records show that during the first three weeks of November, the occupancy of the Samjhauta Express coming to Delhi from Pakistan was around 500 on every trip out of a total capacity of 777. But after the terror strikes in India’s financial hub, the number started declining.
A day after the November 26 attacks in Mumbai, the number of passengers coming from Pakistan stood at 334. The number further slipped to 268 in the trip on December two and on December five it was at lowest with just 250 passengers on board.
India has blamed the elements inside Pakistan for the attack, a charge denied by Islamabad, which says New Delhi has yet to offer any proof to support allegations that Pakistani-based elements were behind the strikes.
However, the number of passengers going to Pakistan from India has instead increased during the same period.
The number of passengers going to Pakistan were 489 on November 26, which increased to 518 in next trip on November 30 and on December three, 597 people travelled to Pakistan through the bi-weekly trans-border train.
Railway officials believe that the attacks in Mumbai could be a reason behind the decline in the number of Pakisani passengers.