Rehman Malik joins Samjhota Express victims

Islamabad: ‪Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator Rehman Malik on Friday joined the protest of victims’ families of Samjhauta Express in front of Parliament House and took their matter in the Senate Standing Committee on Interior for further deliberation.

The families of the victims who lost their lives in the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast are protesting outside Parliament House against the verdict of Indian Court in which the four accused of the blast including Swami Aseemanand were acquitted despite of all evidences for their involvement.

They said that for nearly 12 years they waited for a verdict that they could give justice to them but in vain. Senator A. Rehman Malik, Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior joined the protest of the victim families on their request and convinced them to go inside Parliament as their matter is of highest national interest and shall be taken up in the meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Interior. The victim families included Rana Shoukat Ali, Raheela Wakeel and some 20 others attended the meeting duly presided by Senator A. Rehman Malik, in which their statements were recorded. The meeting was also attended by the senior officials from Ministry of Law and Interior.

Rana Shoukat Ali who had lost five children including three sons and two daughters in the said blast of Samjhauta Express is the eye witness of the whole tragedy as how the Indian terrorists managed to carry out the attack. He briefed the Chairman Senator A. Rehman Malik and said that after the verdict on Samjhauta Express he (Rehman Malik) was the first to listen to them in a proper meeting. Rana Shaukat told the Committee that in 2007, he went to India with his family and he was returning back through Samjhauta Express the day it was attacked. He said that he saw his children and many others burning, crying and dying.

He stated that on the day of incident train departed one hour late and the lights of the train remained off till Pakistanis were seated. He said as the train left for the destination, some Indian police officials came to us and started investigation mysteriously.

Rana Shoukat told the Committee that during Indian custody, he was tortured and harassed and was forced to record his statement against anyone as many Pakistanis were paraded before him for identity of the accused. “Every time I told them to bring the real culprits in front of me that I can recognize them”, he added. He also said that Indian Court never summoned him for the statements as they knew that his statements are based on reality.

Raheela Wakeel who has lost her father in Samjhauta Express blast of 2007 told the Committee that she was also never summoned by the Indian Court to record her statement despite the fact that she was the victim.

She said that her father Muhammad Wakeel died in the Samjhauta Express blast and she is the victim. She said that her family did not receive the dead body of her father till today. She told the Committee that she was offered by the then Indian Railway Minister Lalu Parshad to recognize any dead body as her father and she will be given a hefty amount as bribe but she refused every offer.

Senator A. Rehman Malik has directed the Ministry of Interior to re-open the FIR which had been registered against Indian Lt. Col. S K Purohit by a Pakistan citizen in Sargodha. He also directed Secretary, Ministry of Interior that the case of FIR duly registered in Samjhauta Express blast to be transferred to FIA for further through investigation into the matter. He directed that the statements of victims’ families be recorded by FIA in the presence of representatives from Law Ministry.

After the meeting while briefing the media Senator A. Rehman Malik said that neither the victims were heard nor justice was delivered in Samjhauta Express blast. He said that India has removed all the evidences of the incident, adding that the officer who investigated the incident was also murdered. He said: “Col Purohit was investigated by DIG Karkare, who had exposed the role of Indian Agency RAW and Indian Army via Col. Purohit in the Samjhauta Express blast. ‘’None but the Indian agency RAW through Col. Purohit had carried out the blast’’, he said. Senator Malik said that DIG Karkare was killed and his wife died while waiting for the justice as he had exposed the RAW conspiracy. He said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was doing politics on Samjhauta Express tragedy and most recently he has blamed Congress for it.
Senator A. Rehman Malik said that whosoever is involved we (Pakistan) want justice in the matter and he will take the victims of Samjhauta Express to International Court of Justice.

Senator A. Rehman Malik highly appreciated both Rana Shoukat and Ms. Raheela Wakeel for their bravery and love for Pakistan and said that he and the whole nation stand by them. He urged the Government of Pakistan to announce national awards for both the victims for their bravery as they did not surrender in the hands of enemy and fought for justice for their families. He urged the United Nations, ICJ and Human Rights organisations to take notice of the Indian Court verdict where perpetrators of the Samjhauta Express were set free.