BAHAWALPUR: The Pakistan Railways on Tuesday restored Samasatta railway junction on Lahore-Karachi track after 12 years` closure with the 20-minute stoppage of six express trains along with their watering and maintenance services.

Dawn learnt that the railway junction was closed down for the railway traffic in 2012 by the then railways ministry in the PPP tenure for economic reasons.

Most of its railway staff, including a large number of locoshed employees working at the junction, was shifted to Khanewal. The closure of the railway station deprived the public and traders, particularly from the rural areas of Bahawalpur, of travelling facilities to the cities like Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. The local population`s protest at that time was ignored.

The Samasatta Railway Junction was built around 1878 with the approval of thethen Bahawalpur Nawab-1V (Fourth ) during colonial period .The railway traffic in the United India between New Delhi to Karachi was operated via Bathinda Railway Station and Samasatta Railway Junction. During the Indo-Pak war in 1965,Samasatta junction and railway locoshed was the major target of Indian forces. The Indian aircraftshad destroyed the locoshed and a goods train laden with arms and equipment stationed at the platform with massive bombardment.

This scribe was an eyewitnessto it as a staffer of the Pakistan Times & Daily Imroze.

Luckily, there was no casualty.

According to Parliamentary Secretary For Railways MNA Mian Usman Najeeb Owaisi, a native of Khangah Sharif near Samasatta who was also behind the railways junction`s restora-tion, the authorities have allowed the 20-minute stoppages of 1-UP & 2-DN Khyber Mail, 13-UP & 14-DN Awam Express and 27-UP & 28-DN Shalimar Express.

According to Owaisi, with the resumption of train stoppages at the junction, the locals, particularly the trading community, would benefit from the facility. He added that special seats and berths quotas in the six express trains for Bahawalpur and Samasatta for both UP and Down sides would also be reserved.

RAPISTS ARRESTED: Kahrorepucca city police claimed to have arrested two suspects, who allegedly gangraped a minor girl on April 1.

Following the incident, the police registered a case against the two suspects on the complaint of the victim`s uncle, Abdul Sattar, under section 376 of the PPC and arrested them in a raid on their hideout.

Meanwhile, Qureshiwala police in Lodhran district claimed to have arrested one Adnan Bhatti for the recovery of over one kilogram charas from his possession.