Acquittal of Samjhauta blast accused shows India's 'insensitivity': Pak

Islamabad, Mar 21: Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua on Thursday said that the acquittal of all four accused in the 2007 Samjhauta train blast case showed India's "insensitivity" towards the victims' families as she raised the issue with the Diplomatic Corps.

The blast in Samjhauta Express occurred near Panipat in Haryana on February 18, 2007, when the train was on its way to Attari, the last railway station on the Indian side. The blast killed 68 people, mostly Pakistanis.

A special court in Panchkula in Haryana acquitted main accused Swami Aseemanand and three others in the case on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said that she briefed the Islamabad-based Diplomatic Corps on the "historic injustice" done to the 44 Pakistanis killed in the Samjhauta Express terrorist attack.

"The Indian decision to gradually exonerate and finally acquit the perpetrators despite the presence of clear evidence against them, is a reflection of India's callous insensitivity to the plight of the 44 families of the deceased Pakistanis, who have been waiting for more than a decade to see these terrorists brought to justice," she said.

She stressed that "despite repeated requests by Pakistan for a fair trial and expeditiously bringing the perpetrators to justice, after a lapse of more than 11 years, Indian courts have now exonerated the accused."

Janjua urged all fair minded people to call upon India to "explore all judicial remedies to ensure that the terrorists are brought to justice."

PTI