Train service linking India and Pakistan suspended over escalating Kashmir tensions

The disputed region of Kashmir is on lockdown and tens of thousands of soldiers have been deployed to the area.

By Emily Mee, news reporter,

Image: The train runs between New Delhi in India and Lahore in Pakistan

The train linking Pakistan and India is being suspended because of increasing tensions over the disputed region of Kashmir.
"We have decided to shut down Samjhauta Express," Pakistan's railways minister Sheikh Rasheed told reporters.

"As long as I am railways minister, Samjhauta Express can't operate."

Image: The train has been suspended following tensions over the region of Kashmir

The train, also known as Friendship Express, runs from India's capital New Delhi to the Pakistani city of Lahore.
Tensions have flared after India moved to revoke the special status of Kashmir, a volatile Muslim-majority region in the Himalayas which is claimed in full by both countries.

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The area was placed on lockdown earlier this week and tens of thousands of soldiers were deployed to enforce a security clampdown, blocking roads and stopping groups of people from congregating.

Pakistan's latest move comes after it downgraded its diplomatic ties with India and suspended trade in response to New Delhi's decision.
Passengers learned of the railway suspension as they were waiting to board a train from Lahore to India.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan previously said India's decision to strip Kashmir of its special status could lead to a "regional crisis".
People in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been holed up in their homes for four days since the lockdown and there are fears of a terror threat.

Image: Clashes have continued in Kashmir during the recent tensions

Indian security officials said they had evidence of a planned attack by Pakistani military-backed militants on a major Hindu pilgrimage.
Rebels have been fighting Indian control since 1989 and most Kashmiris support the rebels' demand that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.
In February, a local Kashmiri militant rammed a van filled with explosives into a paramilitary bus, killing 41 soldiers.
It was the worst attack against Indian government forces in Kashmir's history.