Senate body to take up Samjhauta Express case

ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator Chairman A Rehman Malik has decided that Samjhauta Express incident should be take to its logical conclusion as Indian court has already acquitted four people involved in the 2007’s incident.

Rehman Malik asked the Ministry of Interior to proceed in Samjhauta Express case further. He also asked Home Secretary and Punjab IGP to order registration of FIR, formation of commission for complete details of Samjhauta express case from India.

The victims’ families had ended their protest in mid of May outside Parliament House on the assurance of Senator Abdul Rehman Malik that he will be taking up the matter in Senate Standing Committee on Interior.

In the pursuance of above, a letter was issued to the Secretary Interior on June 1, 2019 (Saturday) that Rehman Malik had converted applications and statements of victims of Samjhauta Express blast into Public Petitions and the Committee will bring it on its agenda of the meeting to be held on January 12, 2019.

It states that the matter pertaining to Samjhauta Express was brought in the notice of the Committee on May 30, 2019 wherein Senator Rehman Malik briefed the committee members about the progress made so far on Samjhauta Express issue.

It confirmed that the Committee will consider the matter thoroughly in the next meeting after receipt of the reply from the Ministry of Interior.

Senator A Rehman Malik has further stated that a set procedure is being adopted for consideration of the matter. “The set procedure includes that the victims of Samjhauta Express have filed an application in their respective districts of Hafizabad and Sargodha for registration of FIRs which was their legitimate right and it was also the responsibility of the state to take up the matter as 42 innocent Pakistanis were killed in the tragic incident.”

It says, ”A letter was already written to Home Secretary and Punjab IGP including DPOs of Hafizabad and Sargodha for registration of FIRs for missing persons who were travelling in Samjhauta Express on February 18, 2017. Ministry of Interior has to transfer the FIRs to FIA to investigate the case as per law.”

It is also mentioned in the letter that the FIA has already recorded statements of the victim families, however, these two FIRs will become the base of recording the statements of those two eye witnesses under Section 164 of PPC and subsequently after its attestation, the state should appoint a State Councilor with the directions to file a case in Indian High Court on behalf of the witnesses who were deprived of hearing by the trial court of India. In this trial of Samjhauta Express, these prime witnesses were totally ignored which is abortion of justice and it is injustice to the victim families of Samjhauta Express, the letter added.

Senator Rehman Malik has reiterated that the matter will also be taken up with Secretary General; Interpol with request that the Indian Interpol to provide complete case filed on Samjhauta Express, statements of 5 accused recorded by the DIG Karakre and attested copy of the trial in the matter.

He has directed that a rotatory commission shall be appointed by the government of Pakistan to be sent to the India through diplomatic channels to ensure that Indian High Court and Supreme Court recorded the statements of the eye witnesses and other victim families properly.