Thar Express

Just after 3 hours Thar Express is leaving Karachi Cantt: Station on its journey towards Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. The demand of the people of Sindh especially those having family links in India has finally been fulfilled. The Khokhrapar route as it is commonly known here in Sindh was not in operation since 1965 Indo-Pak war. I belong to the generation whose parents had migrated from India and settled down in Sindh, Pakistan in 1947. Most of the migrated families now living in Sindh had come through Khokhrapar route to Pakistan. The closure of Khokhrapar route has caused unnecessary difficulties for the passengers from Sindh as they have to go through Wagah border near Lahore in Punjab to reach India. While on a visit to Nagar Parkar in Thar I met a family whose relatives lived across the border...just few miles away and to attend a wedding ceremony they had to travel via Lahore and Delhi to reach the other side of border. It was ridiculous...!!The desert train linking Sindh with Rajasthan will open new contacts.Th Pakistani Punjab has already many routes linking it to Indian Punjab. The beneficiaries of the links between Indian and Pakistani Punjab are mostly the Sikhs ( from relegious point of view) but the opening of the route between Sindh and Rajasthan will provide opportunities to Hindus to visit their holy places spread all over Sindh and Balochistan.There is however the need for the opening up of Indian High Commission in Karachi so that the visa is issued from Karachi and prospective visitors to India do not have to go to Islamabad for Indian visa.