FO summons Indian Charge d’Affaires with demand of justice for Samjhauta Express victims
Islamabad: India’s Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convey Pakistan’s “severe disappointment” at his government’s callousness towards the Pakistani victim families of Samjhauta Express, awaiting for the justice for 15 years.
The February 18 marked the 15th anniversary of the horrific terrorist attack on the Samjhauta Express that claimed the lives of 68 innocent passengers including 44 Pakistani nationals.
“The Indian diplomat was conveyed our alarm that the Hindutva extremism and “Saffron terror” that had motivated the inhuman attack fifteen years ago has intensified manifolds under the current regime in India,” the Foreign Office said.
The Charge d’Affaires was asked to convey to the government of India in the strongest terms, Pakistan’s condemnation of the shameless acquittal and exoneration of all accused involved in dastardly terrorist attack, including Swami Aseemanand, an RSS activist, who publicly confessed of being the mastermind of the heinous attack.
This was just another manifestation of the brazen impunity and full state protection that perpetrators of terrorism enjoy in the BJP-ruled India.
The Charge d’Affaires was also asked to convey to Indian government, Pakistan’s demand for a fair trial and for bringing the perpetrators and abettors of Samjhauta Express terrorist attack to justice.
The families of the innocent Pakistani nationals, mercilessly killed at the hands of the Hindutva-motivated extremists, deserve due punishment, the FO said.
The Government of Pakistan strongly called upon India to renounce the use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy and faithfully implement its obligations under international legal order, the FO added.