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NEW DELHI (India): An ultra-right Hindu group threatened Friday to disrupt a train service between India and Pakistan scheduled to restart January 15 amid a normalization of relations between the two countries.

Samjautah Opposition

The Samjautah Express between Lahore and the Indian border town Attari was ordered shut in December 2001 amid war tensions following an attack on the Indian parliament.

'We oppose the resumption of the Samjautah Express in the same way we tried to disrupt the India-Pakistan bus service and we will announce our programme to block the train when it is time,' Robin Sharma, general secretary of the Hindu Sena (Hindu Army) said.

Route

The firebrand leader said the Indian government had to change the route of the bus from New Delhi to Lahore which resumed in June.

The Hindu Sena, claims to have thousands of members, comprises disillusioned members of other right-wing Hindu organisations including India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Pakistan proposes Bus Link Renewal Agreement

Meanwhile, Pakistan has proposed to India holding of technical level meeting in Islamabad for the renewal of Delhi-Lahore Bus Agreement, inked between the two countries.

Sources at Pakistan High Commission, say that the agreement which had been signed by New Delhi and Islamabad for five years in February, 1999, is expiring in February next year.

Proposal was formally given by Pakistani High Commission to Indian Ministry of External Affairs for sending a delegation in the second week of next month to Islamabad to hold a meeting for the renewal of the agreement.

Various issues, related to Delhi-Lahore bus service including bus fare and increase in number of buses are likely to come under discussion during the meeting, added the sources.

Delhi-Lahore bus service is the first link, restored between the two countries on July 11, to enhance people-to-people contact, which has been followed by resumption of air and rail links this month in the wake of peace process between India and Pakistan.