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Published: January 21st 2006
People at Atari train station
Hundreds of people on the floor crossing the Indo-Pak border....IMPORTANT !!!!!!!!
Sri Lankan’s, Chinese, Bangladeshi’s, Afghan’s and perhaps Nepali’s can cross the India-Pakistan border only twice a week. (Monday and Thursday)
I took a train to Amritsar, bus to Atari and then a cycle rickshaw to the Wagah border to find out that Sri Lankan’s cannot cross to Pakistan using the Wagah road border. So I had to take a taxi back as there were no cycle rickshaws to be seen as I had to get to the Atari train station by 11am since the immigration closes at that time.
Essentially the Wagah border is closed for the above nationalities only diplomats of the above nationalities can cross (whether the diplomats of the above or the normal citizens, which ones are safer I don't know). The only option is to cross the border by train, which is allowed.
I was lucky that I happened to get to Amritsar on a Thursday, if I had come on any other day, like the Chinese girl who I met at the border, I would have had to wait till the following Monday or Thursday.
The most logical thing is to take the train from Delhi to Atari (Only
Me in Atari
The train behind me is the Pakistan Railway Train dropping passengers from Pakistan to India. Sunday and Wednesday from Delhi because the train gets to Amritsar on the following day).
If you are in Amritsar already then there is a train to the Atari border at around 7:20am (I am not sure of this time though, this is the Delhi train to Atari stopping in Amritsar) or else there are buses that pass the railway station from 7am onwards to Atari. It cost INR15/= to the Atari village.
From Atari you need to take a cycle rickshaw for INR15/= to the Wagah border or Atari train station.
You could follow the above if you are going to the Wagah border to witness the closing ceremony. All the nationalities mentioned above are allowed at the border to witness this ceremony. This is a spectacular ceromany well worth going for.
When I got to the Atari train station if looked a little dead to see the action was on the other side of the platforms.
I was asked to go through the bridge above the rail platforms and there were like 20 immigration posts. Not all of them open and the ones open were for Indian's and Pakistani’s. No counter for foreign
Shit balls on the way
People use cow dung made into balls for their houses... (rather the deprived nationalities). I went from counter to counter and they kept telling me to go to another counter. Finally I shouted saying isn’t anyone going to check my passport? Then one of the immigration officers took me and “exited” me.
Even to exit this country (India) they want to know your father’s name. Yet again India never fails to amaze me in their quest for pointless information.
Once the immigration part was over, the customs part was really easy no hassle whatsoever. Once I got to the platform after passing customs I saw hundreds of people on the floor just like any other train station in India.
I was told the train will depart to Pakistan at 1:30pm. I saw the Pakistan Railway train coming to Atari on the other side the same side where the immigration counters were. Then all these people got down essentially the crowd from Pakistan to India and then the train came to my side.
I bought a ticket from Indian Railways (INR20/=) to go from Atari to the Wagah border (for all those who will cross to Pakistan, do not buy this ticket it’s a waste of money.
Indian BSF on horse
Indian Border Security Force guards, guarding the train !!!! No one checks and furthermore it's a Pakistan train and why buy an Indian ticket.)
The train finally departed to Pakistan at 2:15pm. The train travelled the 5kms at snail pace. Right throughout you have Indian BSF (Border Security Force) on horse ride following the train side by side.
Once I reached the Pakistan border railway station I disembarked for immigration. There was a Chinese girl who I met at the immigration and the authorities took both our passports and got it stamped from the “back door” because there was no counter for foreigners.
It was nice to have got some preferential treatment for a change. It is advisable to change some USD to PKR at the Indian side because it is not easy to change money at the border to buy the train ticket to Lahore. Fortunately for me there was a guy from a bank (atleast that's what he said) near the ticket counter and he changed SGD10/=
The waiting area was very clean, no one spitting or urinating.
The same train that brought me from India to Pakistan was taking me to Lahore. Since the Chinese girl and I got preferential treatment
Indian BSF on foot
Indian Border Security Force guards, guarding the train !!!! we cleared immigration and customs early but for the rest of the people to clear it took ages. The train finally left at about 6:15pm to Lahore.
The Pakistani customs officials apparently asks the Indian people for money and say that they will not check their baggage in case they were bringing commercial quantities of anything. Two guys I met who helped me a lot in terms of a place to sit etc were asked for money and they had not agreed to give instead asked them to check their bag as they were not carrying anything illegal or to sell.
The train ticket from the border to Lahore was PKR70/=. It was a ok journey with the two Indian guys asking the Chinese girl to sing a Chinese song and embarassing her....
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j. gautam
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more information about wagah
pls send me full information about wagah boarder. i am going to make documentry about wagah boarder. pls