Senate body to tackle Samjhauta Express issue

Published June 3, 2019
Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator Rehman Malik has decided that the matter of the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast will be taken to its logical conclusion by the committee since an Indian court in March this year acquitted four people involved in the incident. — APP/File
Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator Rehman Malik has decided that the matter of the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast will be taken to its logical conclusion by the committee since an Indian court in March this year acquitted four people involved in the incident. — APP/File

ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator Rehman Malik has decided that the matter of the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast will be taken to its logical conclusion by the committee since an Indian court in March this year acquitted four people involved in the incident.

His announcement on Saturday came following a protest by families of the victims. The families ended the protest in mid-May on the assurance of Mr Malik that he would take up the issue in the Senate Standing Committee on Interior.

In pursuance of the above, a letter was issued to the interior secretary on Saturday that “Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior, Senator Rehman Malik has converted applications and statements of victims of Samjhauta Express blast into Public Petitions and the Committee will bring it on its agenda of the meeting to be held on June 12.”

It states that the matter relating to the Samjhauta Express was brought to the notice of the committee on May 30 wherein Mr Malik briefed the committee members on the progress made so far on the Samjhauta Express blast issue.

The blast in Samjhauta Express coaches took place near Panipat in Haryana on Feb 18, 2007, when the train was on its way to Attari near Amritsar, the last railway station on the Indian side, in which 68 people, including 42 Pakistanis, were killed.

Mr Malik further stated that a set procedure was adopted to look into the matter. “The set procedure includes victims of Samjhauta Express filing an application in their respective districts of Hafizabad and Sargodha for FIR [First Investigation Report] registration, which they have already done so, and hence it is the responsibility of the state to take up the matter as 42 innocent Pakistanis were killed in the tragic incident.”

It says “a letter was already written to Home Secretary and IG Police Punjab on 18th February 2017 including DPOs [District Police Office] of Hafizabad and Sargodha for registration of FIRs for missing persons, who were travelling in Samjhauta Express. Ministry of Interior has to transfer the FIRs to the FIA [Federal Investigation Agency] to investigate the case as per law.”

He said the matter would be discussed also with the United Nations secretary general. Mr Malik added that the committee would also write to Interpol India to provide them with the complete case filed on the Samjhauta Express blast, including statements of the five accused, especially recorded by Officer Hemant Karkare who was later killed in mysterious circumstances, and an attested copy of the trial held in India over the matter.

Riaz Ali Toori, spokesperson for Mr Malik, told Dawn that the senator was planning to write a letter to the Indian High Commissioner in which the Indian government would be asked to release those passengers of Samjhauta Express who were taken into custody by the Indian authorities at that time.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2019

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