Why Have This Train At All?

It is extremely unfortunate that some brainless idiots have once again spilt innocent blood solely to vitiate the improving relations between the two countries. The perpetrators must be brought to justice. The peace process must not be derailed.....

This is the lamest excuse for the article. The writer is trying to find reason for this insanity in corruption, which is worse than finding it in terrorism, and more interested in writing about Octroi on his sons books and beds. Chowk must not publish such articles. Innocent people were killed.

Re:anil #2

Anil, I agree with you. This was a lousy, insensitive article written in a callous manner as if we are talking about minor details in Indo-Pak tourism.

The fact is that terrorists are always looking for soft targets. Today it is the train, tomorrow it could be a market outside Jama Masjid, the day after it could be a mosque. How much security can the government provide and how can it sustain it if there are people determined to carry out civilian casualties? In a place like India teeming with people, how difficult is it change targets? With the Indo-Pak peace process taking off, the jihadis are desperate to find all such opportunities to wreak havoc. Yesterday`s event is an indication of things to come as India-Pak relations get better.

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Re: # 4

`war of the world`

Did you mean `war of the worldS`? As in world1 = Earth, world2 = Mars. Plural..

It almost makes one feel like you were dropping references without knowing what you were talking about. Scout on UP was complaining that thats what you do in your ilogs. Wallahu `Alam.

Ranjit & Anil, is it your contention that terrorists operate and exist in a vacuum, independent of the ground realities?

Please read the article from that perspective.

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Zahraj - the train was like any other 2nd Class 3-tier train in India, and that`s that, the latest that the Indian Railways offers in this class. Look at the price of the ticket also. Capable of running at 130kmph on one of the fastest routes in the country.

Issue here is that the long Delhi - Attari leg done through the night is asking for trouble, but maintained mainly to provide the existing vested interests with a safe option, when a safer shorter Amritsar-Attari option is now available. Who are these vested options? Look around you in Pakistan, from the jehad boxes right outside Lahore Railway Station to the easy availability of Indian booze and all the way up to the movement of acetic anydrides, and so on and so forth. The answers for this blast are related to cross border smuggling, and that is what needs to be nipped.

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Re:veeresh#6

[..Ranjit & Anil, is it your contention that terrorists operate and exist in a vacuum, independent of the ground realities?.....]

I wish you had bothered to express at least one or two sentences in sympathy of the victims of this outrageous attack. Since the attack occured on our soil, at least we Indians can express our sorrow and not sound flippant about the whole thing.

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Hello Veeresh, where have you been all this time??
I would like to hear more about why you thnk this blast occurred. You appear to think it was more about money than ideology. You have been to these parts, so I will pay attention!

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Zeemax/12, certainly there are combustibles carried on this train (you have to wade through the plastic being unloaded at Wagah station/Pakistan), I don`t know what happens with acetic anhydride about which there have always been rumours, and it is widely reported that there were bombs which went off as well as failed to go off. I know what happens to fires when it is accompanied by motion so the flames gutting everything inside or outside is very much in line.

Ships catch fire and sink even while surrounded by oceans, for lesser and smaller reasons, so please don`t underestimate the whole issue and strength of a few litres or gallons or kilos of inflammables with explosives - just search for photographs of ships that have caught fire and you will get what I mean.

nb/11, I think this blast happened because the nexus between the terrorists and the overall bad guys as well as those engaged in illegal commerce/smuggling between our countries is in position, and shall suffer the most if things improve between India and Pakistan. Just imagine how many inertia levels will change in both countries if just Indian movies and Indian booze go legit? Simple minds will now break this down into religious stuff, but I don`t buy religious fundoos in a vacuum any more either.

HP/9, how do you know who is Pakistani and who is not on this board? But thanks anyways.

Zahraj/8, please take the morning train from Lahore to Wagah border and get a clear understanding of what happens on this Lahore - Delhi route. (Arrange to have somebody pick you up and drive you back from Wagah, though . . . maybe Yasser will oblige, he promised me a long ago - before Dunkin Donuts came and changed him - that he would do it for me . . . ) As for trains, the romance ensues. Once things improve, I shall come to Lahore and go as far North and West as the lines take me in Pakistan.

Ranjit/7, point, noted. I am not being flippant, tired and fed up of this hypocrisy, yes. And what does sympathy achieve? What I have to do, I do, and for that maybe you could join me and some others at Safdarjung hospital? Sympathy not needed there, just logistical support.

Vareesh,
Wellcome Back!
May the sould rest in Peace and may the bereaved families be Blessed.

Credit is due to you, for writing such an informative article in such a short time. Such essays do tend to carry a lot of emotion and some biase which is comprehensible. All the same, they give a true insight from a personal perspective.

Yes many a time I have travelled all through Pakistan in the train between Rawalpindi and Quetta. I have also travelled on small branch lines and the tale is the same. Dirty, overcrowded and poorly maintained wagons. People sit on the floors and some even dare to light fires with kerosence and gas stoves. The Cabin becomes a cook house of sorts. On long routes, even regular meals are cooked.

As for acetic anhydrite, its used to process opium into morphine and heroin. It used in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sistan area of Iran for this purpose.

Cheerios and you owe me a mail.

For your information, railways are getting better and better every year. These are not as they were 10 years ago, particularly the new ones which are coming up in quite a large number every time the rail-budget is announced. Many new tracks have been built. Indians are proud of the massive Konkan railway. And within this year, we can travel to Shrinagar on rails. Trains are now running faster, safer, cleaner and are providing many new services on trains. Ok, the safety measures are lacking, although, railway authorities have tried to to improve them also. If they start checking each and every luggage, people will start complaining. Don`t you hear about the misbehaviour of Americans when they adopted stringent security checks. In such a vast country like India where crores of people travel daily, those measures would be futile. See, such attacks can never be eliminated entirely till the atmosphere in this region is not improved. Still, few measures can be taken, eg: nobody should be allowed to enter the platform itself except the passengers and the luggage must be checked thoroughly.

samar

veeresh this is really laughable. What happened after Godhra? Here are the stats