Indo-Pak rail talks get off to a good start

The first day of talks between India and Pakistan on the resumption of rail services between the two countries ended on a positive note.

"That the Samjhauta Express will run again is a foregone conclusion, the modalities are being discussed. The day's talks dwelt on the date for re-start, fare and train timings," a senior Railway official said.

The four-member Pakistani delegation is led by Muhammad Igbal Khatri, additional general manager of Pakistan Railways. The other delegates are SG Hashmi (chief commercial manager), Asad Saeed (chief mechanical engineer) and Muhammad Ali (financial adviser).

The Indian side is led by SB Ghosh Dastidar, additional member (traffic), and includes S Balachandran, adviser (accounting reforms), Pradeep Bhatnagar, executive director (traffic) and RS Virdi, executive director (mechanical).

It is learnt that Pakistan is keen on the resumption of the train any time between December 25 and January 1, while the Indian side is committed to re-starting the train before the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit gets underway in Islamabad for January 4.