The Ministry of External Affairs Friday accused Pakistan of trying to politicise the court verdict in Samjhauta Express terror case to ‘deflect’ attention from its ‘failure’ to bring to justice perpetrators of several terror attacks in India and the region.
The Ministry of External Affairs Friday accused Pakistan of trying to politicise the court verdict in Samjhauta Express terror case to ‘deflect’ attention from its ‘failure’ to bring to justice perpetrators of several terror attacks in India and the region.
“We reject Pakistan’s attempt to politicise the matter. It is being done to deflect attention from their failure in bringing perpetrators of several terrorist attacks in India and the region to justice,” Kumar said at a media briefing.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said there was a complete lack of understanding on the Pakistani side about how India’s independent judiciary functions.
India’s reaction comes hours after Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was quoted by PTI as saying: “The decision by India’s National Investigation Court has shaken the people. The four accused were acquitted after 11 years, including Swami Aseemanand, who had already confessed his crime.”
Last week, a special court in Panchkula in Haryana acquitted all four accused, including Swami Aseemanand, in the case. Sixty-eight people, mostly Pakistanis, were killed in the terror attack on Samjhauta Express in February, 2007.
On March 20, Pakistan Foreign Office summoned the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad to protest against the verdict.
He said due process was followed in the case and the court has given the verdict based on materials available to it.
“We respect the verdict of the court. We got no cooperation whatsoever from Pakistan including our request to serve summons to witnesses who are in Pakistan,” Kumar said.
“We demand that Pakistan should take immediate, credible and irreversible measures against cross-border terrorism without any discrimination,” he added.
“We reject Pakistan’s attempt to politicise the matter. It is being done to deflect attention from their failure in bringing perpetrators of several terrorist attacks in India and the region to justice,” Kumar said at a media briefing.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said there was a complete lack of understanding on the Pakistani side about how India’s independent judiciary functions.
India’s reaction comes hours after Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was quoted by PTI as saying: “The decision by India’s National Investigation Court has shaken the people. The four accused were acquitted after 11 years, including Swami Aseemanand, who had already confessed his crime.”
Last week, a special court in Panchkula in Haryana acquitted all four accused, including Swami Aseemanand, in the case. Sixty-eight people, mostly Pakistanis, were killed in the terror attack on Samjhauta Express in February, 2007.
On March 20, Pakistan Foreign Office summoned the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad to protest against the verdict.
He said due process was followed in the case and the court has given the verdict based on materials available to it.
“We respect the verdict of the court. We got no cooperation whatsoever from Pakistan including our request to serve summons to witnesses who are in Pakistan,” Kumar said.
“We demand that Pakistan should take immediate, credible and irreversible measures against cross-border terrorism without any discrimination,” he added.