New Delhi: There are many strange stories of Indian Railways, with their own quirks and baffling trivia. The Attari Railway Station located in Punjab’s Amritsar has one such story. Normally, we need passport and visa to travel abroad, not to travel within the country. However, the Attari Railway Station was an exception to this rule. There, an Indian citizen needed to have a passport and a valid visa to even enter the station. Strange, isn’t it? In this article, we will learn more about this.
The uniqueness of the Attari Railway Station
The Attari Railway Station in Amritsar near the India-Pakistan has a unique place in the history of Indian Railways. Unlike other train stations in the country where one does not need passport or visa to enter the premises, the Attari Railway Station had a unique rule. There, the Indian citizens had to carry both passport and a valid visa to enter the premises.
It is the last station in India before entering Pakistan and serves the Attari and Wagah border areas. Earlier, anyone looking to catch a train from this station or looking to disembark needed a Pakistani visa. Entering the station was restricted and anyone without passport and valid visa could face legal action. The station has always been placed under tight security and law enforcement agencies monitor it throughout the day due to its strategic location.
The importance of Attari Railway Station
The Attari Railway Station linked between India and Pakistan and was the departure point of the Samjhauta Express which connected India and Pakistan. It enabled people on both sides of the border to connect and also facilitated cross-border trade and pilgrimages. As a result, the station became a hope of unity between the two neighbouring nations. However, since 2019, the Samjhauta Express has been suspended after India revoked Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir.
The Attari Railway Station is not just a transit hub but is a symbol of both the division and connection between the two nations. Even though the operation of the Samjhauta Express was suspended, the station continues to have an important place in the cross-border transport network of India.
Attari Railway Station, near the India-Pakistan border, uniquely required Indian citizens to possess a passport and visa for entry. This unusual rule stemmed from its strategic location and role as the last Indian station before the Wagah border crossing. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
