BackPakistan protests bail to Samjhauta Express blast accused Aseemanand
India's deputy high commissioner summoned over India's failure to contest conditional bail to Swami Assemanand, an accused in the 2007 train blast
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New Delhi: Pakistan on Friday summoned India’s deputy high commissioner to lodge a protest over the Indian government’s failure to contest the conditional bail to Swami Assemanand, an accused in the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast that killed 68 people, including 42 Pakistanis.
The Pakistan foreign office said deputy high commissioner J.P. Singh met the director general (SA & SAARC), who lodged a protest against the decision of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to not oppose the bail granted to Aseemanand on “special leave permission", according to a statement issued by the Pakistan foreign office that was emailed by the Pakistan high commission in New Delhi.
“The government of Pakistan has serious reservations on the efficiency of the court in processing and disposal of cases regarding terrorism, especially those involving deaths of Pakistani citizens," the statement said.
It said Pakistan expected India to take steps to bring to justice all those involved in the attack on the Samjhauta Express.
The Samjhauta Express, the only rail link between India and Pakistan, was bombed in February 2007. Four improvised explosive devices were planted on the train on 18 February 2007, in which 68 lives were lost.
India’s NIA decided not to oppose the conditional bail to Assemanand as it did not find any grounds for it, minister of state for home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary had informed the Lok Sabha earlier this week.
However, Aseemanand remains in jail in Haryana in connection with two other terror cases, a Press Trust of India report said.
According to the Pakistan foreign office, no action has been taken by Indian authorities against the mastermind and perpetrators of the attack.
The summoning of the Indian deputy high commissioner comes a week ahead of talks between the national security advisors of the two countries on terrorism. Pakistan had on Thursday confirmed that Sartaj Aziz, advisor to Pakistan’s prime minister Nazwaz Sharif on foreign and security affairs, would be coming to India for the talks.
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