The Samjhauta Express, a bi-weekly train service operated between Delhi and Lahore was rocked by bomb blasts, by terrorists near Panipat, earlier this week.

In a suspected terror attack, 68 people, including some Pakistani nationals, were killed in explosions believed to have been set off by improvised explosive devices in two coaches of the Delhi-Attari special train for Lahore at Deewana near Panipat, about 100 km from Delhi.

The official toll to date is listed at 68, 11 of whom have been identified. A large number of those killed were Pakistanis. Politicians from both India(1 ,2), Pakistan and other third parties(1,2) expressed their customary condolences to the victims.

Authorities have released sketches of two suspects and the usual finger pointing and blame game between India and Pakistan has reared its ugly head and threatened to derail the peace process.

The Samjhauta Express is a product of the Shimla Agreement and symbolizes the peace efforts between India and Pakistan.

The word ‘Samjhauta’ means ‘Accord’ in both Hindi and Urdu (the national languages of India and Pakistan respectively).

It was started in 1976 and ever since has transported passengers between India and Pakistan on an intermittent basis – its route was shortened in the late 80s and was discontinued between 2002 and 2004.

The train was started on July 22, 1976 following the Shimla Agreement and ran between Amritsar and Lahore, a distance of about 42 kms. Following disturbances in Punjab in the late eighties, due to security reasons Indian Railways decided to terminate the service at Attari, where customs and immigration clearances take place.
The train’s first break of service was when it was discontinued on January 1, 2002 in the wake of terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001. Service resumed on January 15, 2004.

Reading the history of this train, it is quite obvious that the nature of this train in quite political. So one can rightfully assume that if this train was such an important symbol of the peace process, which includes discussions on cross-border terrorism, it would be protected against attacks of that very nature. So imagine my shock when I read this eyewitness account from a survivor describing the lack of security.

“Nobody checked us before we boarded. Nobody at all,” gasps Kamruddin.

As we hear the heart rending tales of the victims, more accounts of security lapses and corruption are coming to light, it begs the question about the feasibility of this train in terms of security. If both sides are making this train a symbol of the peace process, then it becomes a joint responsibility to ensure the safety of passengers on this train, irrespective of nationality. If this cannot be achieved, then perhaps, we can make a Samjhauta to lay this relic of symbolization to rest.

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