Moderate Hurriyat condemns Samjhauta Express attack

New Delhi, Feb 19 (UNI) The moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference today condemned the attack on Pakistan-Samjhauta express and said New Delhi and Islamabad should strengthen their resolve to ''fight the forces trying to derail the peace process''.

''Such incidents should obviously not happen. The incident is highly condemnable,'' Moderate Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said here.

He said the attack, in which 67 people, mostly Pakistani nationals, were killed and 13 injured, was a ''desperate'' attempt to derail the ongoing peace process between the two nations.

''Both the countries must resolve to fight forces against the peace process,'' he added.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri will arrive here tomorrow for talks with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee.

Two coaches of the Delhi-Attari Samjhauta Express caught fire at Shiva Village under Chandni Bagh police station in Panipat district today.

The incident occurred at around 0100 hrs, a Northern Railway Spokesman said.

The bogies were separated from the train after the fire was extinguished by fire tenders from the district and the Indian Oil refinery.

After separation of the two bogies, the train, which was going from Delhi to Attari, left for its destination at about 0300 hrs.

UNI