PM Pakistan Condemns Train Blasts; Manmohan Phones Aziz
By Sarah Kamal 'Pakistan Times' Special Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Monday said Pakistan condemns the incident of Samjhota Express in India that claimed over sixty innocent Pakistani lives and left an equal number of people injured.
“It is with deep sorrow that we heard about the tragic incident related to Samjhota Express and hope that the results of the investigation to be conducted by Indian authorities will be shared with us and the culprits will be exposed,” he told reporters.

Shaukat Aziz said the government has asked the Pakistan Air Force to keep C-130 planes ready along with a medical team to airlift the bodies and injured persons from India.

“We want to bring back the bodies and the injured at the earliest as the relatives are perturbed,” he said.

He said the Foreign Secretary has talked to the Indian authorities and as soon as the permission is given the airlift would get underway.

“I will be speaking to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and will express the viewpoint of the government and feelings of the Pakistan people over the tragic incident,” he said.

The Prime Minister announced a cash compensation of 500,000 rupees each for those who lost their lives in the incident and 100,000 each for the injured.

Shaukat Aziz said, “The incident should not in any way hamper the peace process going on between the two countries.

Terrorism is a threat we have to take very seriously and fight collectively.”

The Prime Minister said the government will do whatever it can to alleviate the sufferings of the people from this tragic happening.

Manmohan Phones Aziz

Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh on Monday expressed his deep shock and sense of sorrow over the tragic explosion in the Samjhota Express train in India in which so many innocent Pakistanis lost their lives and received injuries.

The Indian Prime Minister while talking to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz by phone assured him that the Indian government will readily share the findings of its inquiry into the incident and extend full cooperation in returning those injured in the accident and extend visas to Pakistanis desirous of visiting India in this connection.

He said that India will also permit the Pakistan Air Force aircraft to fly into India for taking the injured back to Pakistan as soon as they are in a position to travel.

The Indian Prime Minister said that 12 injured Pakistanis are being treated in New Delhi and only one is being looked after in Panipat.

The Indian Prime Minister said that terrorism is a threat that has to be collectively fought and the Indian government will extend full cooperation to Pakistan in this connection.

Prime Minister Aziz told the Indian Prime Minister that Pakistan has strongly condemned the dastardly incident and expects the perpetrators of the heinous crime to be brought to book and given exemplary punishment as it has caused a great deal of concern in Pakistan.

Prime Minister Aziz said that he has already instructed the security and railways authorities to liaise with their counterparts in India to facilitate the repatriation of the injured Pakistanis in a seamless manner.●