The BJP has accused the Congress party of fabricating the theory of 'Hindu terror' to undermine Narendra Modi and appease Muslim voters. This statement follows the acquittal of seven individuals in the Malegaon blast case. The BJP demands compensation for the acquitted and an apology from the prosecution.
Indo-Pak Samjhauta Express, which was suspended due to security reasons in the wake of the assassination of former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto, resumed its service on Sunday. The decision was taken after consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs and railway officials of Pakistan, another official said. No decision has been taken on the resumption of services of the Thar Express.
At least 68 people were killed in a fire that engulfed the Samjhauta Express after blasts in the train in the northern Indian state of Haryana.
The Samjhauta Express carrying some 150 passengers left Lahore railway station for India, Radio Pakistan reported.
The railways run the train on Sundays from Delhi to Attari and back, while Pakistan used to run the train between Lahore and Attari. Passengers used to change trains at the Attari station.
For the first time a serving army officer was accused of terrorism.
The days of running for the Lahore-Attari-Delhi trains have been changed.
No date of resumption of services has been fixed so far, they said.
For Malegaon's Muslims, Rahul Gandhi's remarks were simply one more indication that the party they once supported no longer cares for them, notes Jyoti Punwani.
Railway officials in New Delhi said the train has not been suspended.
The train will start running from the Indian side on Sunday, while on the Pakistan side it will leave Lahore on Monday on its return journey.
With no breakthrough in the over three-year-old Samjhauta Express blast case, the Centre has decided to handover its probe to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to unravel the conspiracy.
About 14 kg of heroin being smuggled from Pakistan in the trans-border Samjhauta Express were seized and four passengers of the train arrested for allegedly carrying the contraband, having a street value of Rs 70 crore, officials said here on Tuesday.
On a petition filed by the National Investigation Agency challenging the verdict of its special court in Samjhauta Express blast case, the Punjab and Haryana high court issued a notice to accused Aseemanand for November 8.
The two countries are contemplating introducing an Advance Information Passenger Information System wherein both sides exchange information on details of passengers travelling on these trains, Railway Ministry sources said.
The minister went around the station for about half an hour along with senior ministry officials and security personnel inspecting security arrangements, and met passengers of the 'Friendship Train'.
The Indian response came as Pakistan summoned India's Acting Deputy High Commissioner S Raghuram and expressed concern over the cancellation of operation of Samjhauta Express on Thursday due to farmer protest in India leaving over 200 passengers from both countries stranded.
A day after Islamabad downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi over developments in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan's Federal Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told the media in Islamabad on Thursday that Pakistan has closed the Samjhauta Express train service with India.
Dhan Singh, a prime suspect in the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast case, was on Thursday remanded in the custody of National Investigation Agency till December 28 in the 2008 Malegaon blast case by the special National Investigation Agency court in Mumbai.
On the quota for other backward classes in higher education, he said this was necessary to improve the lot of the downtrodden.
Kamal Chauhan, a disgruntled Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker arrested by the National Investigation Agency, had planted bombs on board Samjhauta Express in 2007 after undergoing training in arms and explosives in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, the agency claimed on Tuesday.
The report said on the day of the blasts, there were no "permanent or temporary" speed restrictions on the up line in the Samalkha-Diwana section and at Old Delhi railway station.
The Centre on Wednesday said the probe into the Samjhauta Express train bomb blasts, in which 43 Pakistani nationals were killed, was still on to find out the identities of all perpetrators of the crime.
All 100 passengers on the India-bound Samjhauta Express train escaped unhurt after its engine caught fire due to an electrical short circuit in Pakistan's Punjab province, officials said.
The two, identified as Huzaifa of Abhinandan Bag Centre and the shop manager Poonam Singh Thakur, were taken to Panipat or Chandigarh after seeking permission of the court for further probe.
The fire had started when the train was at Diwana railway station near Panipat in Haryana, it said.
The BJP has lauded the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, as a testament to "New India's" zero-tolerance stance against terrorism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the Congress has countered the claim, stating that the extradition was the result of diplomatic efforts initiated during the UPA government's tenure. The BJP highlighted Rana's return as a tribute to security personnel who lost their lives fighting Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and a step towards justice for victims of the attack. The Congress, however, asserted that the Modi government did not initiate the extradition process but benefited from the UPA's groundwork. The exchange of accusations has added a political dimension to Rana's extradition, with both parties vying for credit for the development.
Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, is reportedly using individuals under the influence of drugs or posing as mentally disturbed to infiltrate India and deliver messages to terrorists in prisons. Officials have reported over 10 such cases since July, with individuals entering from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and being sent to prisons in Jammu, Punjab, and Rajasthan. Security agencies suspect these individuals are couriers tasked with relaying communication to jailed terrorists. The ISI's tactic is believed to be a response to the increased use of technology in communication, which leaves behind electronic footprints. This method of infiltration has also been linked to drug smuggling operations. The ISI's current tactic is reminiscent of its past use of "sawari operators" on the Samjhauta Express for covert operations, which were effectively curtailed by authorities.
Even though the NIA claims that more than 90 per cent of cases charge-sheeted have ended in conviction, the figure is likely misleading. To date, very few cases investigated by the NIA have resulted in a completed trial, points out former CBI joint director Navneet Rajan Wasan.
The partisan political games being played by Indian investigative agencies seem to have boomeranged, observes B Raman
The Thar Express has been running between Jodhpur and Karachi since services resumed on February 18, 2006 after a 41-year suspension.
Pakistan on Thursday said India was trying to "exonerate" individuals suspected to be involved in the 2007 Samjhauta Express blasts that killed more than 42 Pakistanis and sought "fair investigation" in the case.
Pakistan on Friday summoned India's deputy high commissioner and lodged a protest over the Indian government's failure to contest the conditional bail to Swami Assemanand, chargesheeted in connection with the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast that killed 68 people, including 42 Pakistanis.
The bus service was suspended after authorities in PoK did not respond to call from their Indian counterparts.
The recent arrests made by the National Investigation Agency in connection with the Samjhauta Express blast case could see the probe meeting a logical end soon. Vicky Nanjappa reports
200 passengers travelling to India by Samjhauta Express last Thursday were stopped at the Wagah Border
'If there is effective prosecution, only then we will get justice, but first let them (NIA) run the case honestly in court.'
The bus service was first started in February 1999 but suspended after the 2001 Parliament attack. It was restarted in July 2003.
Special NIA court judge Jagdeep Singh posted the matter for March 14 after a Pakistani woman filed a petition claiming she had some evidence relevant to the case.
Senior IPS officer Bharti Arora, currently posted as the inspector general of police of Ambala range in Haryana, has sought voluntary retirement from service citing personal grounds, and said she wants to dedicate the rest of her life to the service of Lord Sri Krishna.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances