INDIA, which is pushing Pakistan for a speedy trial of Mumbai attacks suspects, ruled out on Tuesday sharing of information with Pakistan about 2007 Samjhota Express bombing, saying it was ‘too premature’.
A day after Pakistan sought an update on the probe into the Samjhota Express bombing, Indian Ministry of Home Affairs has informed the Ministry of External Affairs to convey to Islamabad that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has not completed its probe into the 2007 explosions in the India-Pakistan train service which claimed 68 lives. “It is too premature to share any information with anyone at this stage. The investigation is still on. When it is completed, we will take an appropriate decision,” an Indian government official said, reported PTI.
On Monday, India’s acting Deputy High Commissioner GV Srinivas was summoned to the Pakistan Foreign Office in Islamabad and told that information on progress in the probe should be provided by New Delhi ‘at the earliest’. The development took place in the wake of right-wing activist Swami Aseemanand’s confession about the involvement of Sangh activists in the attack, in which most of the victims were Pakistanis.
The NIA on Tuesday announced a cash reward of Rs 1 million each for information leading to the arrest of Sandeep Dange and Ramchandra Kalsangra in connection with the Samjhota Express blasts case. Besides the two, the NIA has also announced a cash reward of Rs 200,000 for the arrest of Ashok, also wanted in connection with the same case.
Swami Aseemanand, who has been arrested in connection with the case, has in his confession statement before a magistrate named Dange and Ramchandra as being instrumental in carrying out a number of blasts in the country including in the train. Pakistan has asked India several times in the past two years to apprise it of developments in the investigation. The issue was also raised by Pakistani officials and leaders with Indian; Home Minister P Chidambaram and External Affairs Minister SM Krishna when they visited Islamabad last year.
Meanwhile, asking Pakistan to fulfil its assurances of disbanding the terror infrastructure on its soil, SM Krishna Tuesday said it was willing to go ‘more than half the way’ to hold peace talks with the neighbour but terrorism could ‘not be shoved’ under the carpet. Krishna, during an interaction with visiting journalists from eastern European countries in New Delhi, said India was ‘looking forward’ to Pakistan addressing its core concern regarding terrorism and tackling the outfits effectively.
Reiterating that India ‘ants friendly ties and continues to aspire for civilised’ relations with Pakistan, Krishna said, “We want a stable, prosperous and friendly Pakistan as our neighbour.” He recalled Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s repeated call to Pakistan to fulfil assurances on disallowing use of its territory by terror elements for attacking India.
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