Indian man crashes car into Wagah-Attari border gate

Published November 16, 2015
The crash left the gate at Atari "badly damaged" while the Wagah gate was partly damaged. —DawnNews screengrab
The crash left the gate at Atari "badly damaged" while the Wagah gate was partly damaged. —DawnNews screengrab
The crash left the gate at Atari "badly damaged" while the Wagah gate was partly damaged. —DawnNews screengrab
The crash left the gate at Atari "badly damaged" while the Wagah gate was partly damaged. —DawnNews screengrab
The vehicle came to a stop after crashing into the Pakistani side of the border gate. —DawnNews screengrab
The vehicle came to a stop after crashing into the Pakistani side of the border gate. —DawnNews screengrab

LAHORE: A speeding sports utility vehicle (SUV), driven by an Indian man, crashed into the Wagah-Attari border gate early on Monday.

The Indian citizen breached security on the Indian side of the border, reportedly crashing a check post and reached zero point of the border. The vehicle came to a stop after ramming into the Pakistani side of the border gate.

The incident raised caution among border officials, and led to the Punjab Rangers writing a letter to the Border Security Forces (BSF) seeking an inquiry into the breach of security, official sources said.

The crash left the gate at Attari "badly damaged" while the Wagah gate was partially damaged, witnesses at the site said.

The driver was arrested by BSF officials while his car was confiscated by Pakistani officials after it entered Pakistani territory, sources said.

Also read: Footprints: Six inches and a world away

The vehicle was returned upon request of the BSF, they added.

The Non-resident Indian (NRI), from Canada, was allegedly drunk when he drove his SUV into the gate at Attari, crossed the Zero Line, and crashed into the gate at the Pakistani side.

The incident comes days after Punjab Rangers had offered sweets and exchanged greetings with their Indian counterparts at Wagah border to mark the Hindu festival of Diwali — in resumption of the customary exchange of good wishes suspended for the last many months due to tensions between the two neighbouring states.

Security was beefed up at the border after a devastating suicide attack at the entrance of the Wagah border parade venue killed 60 people and left more than 110 injured in November last year.

Two militant organisations — outlawed Jundullah and TTP-affiliated Jamaat-ul-Ahrar — had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Opinion

Editorial

Economic plan
Updated 02 Jan, 2025

Economic plan

Absence of policy reforms allows the bureaucracy a lot of space to wriggle out of responsibility.
On life support
02 Jan, 2025

On life support

PAKISTAN stands at a precarious crossroads as we embark on a new year. Pildat’s Quality of Democracy report has...
Harsh sentence
02 Jan, 2025

Harsh sentence

USING lawfare to swiftly get rid of political opponents makes a mockery of the legal system, especially when ...
Looking ahead
Updated 01 Jan, 2025

Looking ahead

The dawn of 2025 brings with it hope of a more constructive path to much-needed stability.
On the front lines
Updated 01 Jan, 2025

On the front lines

THE human cost of terrorism in 2024 was staggering. The ISPR reports 383 officers and soldiers embraced martyrdom...
Avoiding reform
01 Jan, 2025

Avoiding reform

PAKISTAN’S economic growth significantly slowed down to a modest 0.92pc during the first quarter of the present...