Passengers from Pakistan's Lahore Samjhauta Express had to wait nearly three hours at the Wagah border today as Islamabad stated it was shutting down the train service as part of its retaliatory action against the Jammu and Kashmir ruling of the centre.

"We decided to shut down Samjhauta Express," Pakistan Railway Minister Sheik Rasheed said on Thursday at a news conference. "Samjhauta Express is unable to operate as long as I am a minister of railways," he said.

The Pakistani crew stopped at Wagah, where the train arrived at 1 p.m., refusing to go any further. They demanded that the Indian crew come across the Indian territory and drive it through. An Indian team took over after almost three hours and the train began on its journey to Attari.