Samjhauta train blasts: India’s investigations going at snail’s pace, says FO
Reports of US pressure to carry out full-scale military operation denied.
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan accused India of conducting investigations into the Samjhauta train blasts at a ‘snail’s pace’, after New Delhi turned down its request to share the findings of the probe.
The February 2007 terrorist attack on the Pakistan-India Friendship train service killed 68 people, including 42 Pakistani nationals.
“It is now almost four years to the blast. The Indian investigation is clearly moving at a snail’s pace, to put it mildly,” said the Foreign Office spokesperson at the weekly news briefing on Monday.
“We hope India will share details of their investigations with Pakistan at the earliest, as was conveyed to them formally two days ago,” Abdul Basit added.
Islamabad has stepped up pressure on New Delhi after reports said a jailed Hindu extremist leader confessed his involvement in several terrorist incidents, including the Samjhauta Express attacks. In this regard, a senior Indian diplomat was summoned to the Foreign Office on Monday.
Indian authorities have refused to share the findings of the probe with Pakistan, saying the investigations are yet to be completed.
On the US Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Pakistan, the spokesperson denied reports that Washington was exerting pressure on the government to carry out a full-scale military operation. “The US understands our position very well on full-scale operations in North Waziristan. We would not like to have any disconnect between the two lest the successes we have achieved so far unravel,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 14th, 2011.
Pakistan accused India of conducting investigations into the Samjhauta train blasts at a ‘snail’s pace’, after New Delhi turned down its request to share the findings of the probe.
The February 2007 terrorist attack on the Pakistan-India Friendship train service killed 68 people, including 42 Pakistani nationals.
“It is now almost four years to the blast. The Indian investigation is clearly moving at a snail’s pace, to put it mildly,” said the Foreign Office spokesperson at the weekly news briefing on Monday.
“We hope India will share details of their investigations with Pakistan at the earliest, as was conveyed to them formally two days ago,” Abdul Basit added.
Islamabad has stepped up pressure on New Delhi after reports said a jailed Hindu extremist leader confessed his involvement in several terrorist incidents, including the Samjhauta Express attacks. In this regard, a senior Indian diplomat was summoned to the Foreign Office on Monday.
Indian authorities have refused to share the findings of the probe with Pakistan, saying the investigations are yet to be completed.
On the US Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Pakistan, the spokesperson denied reports that Washington was exerting pressure on the government to carry out a full-scale military operation. “The US understands our position very well on full-scale operations in North Waziristan. We would not like to have any disconnect between the two lest the successes we have achieved so far unravel,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 14th, 2011.