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Train attack: 9 Pakistanis come looking for kin

Source: PTI
February 20, 2007 20:53 IST
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Nine Pakistanis crossed over to India through the Wagah land border route on Tuesday to search for their kin who were either injured or missing after the blasts on the Samjhauta Express on Sunday night.

Tension writ large on their faces, they said they had no information about their relatives who did not reach Pakistan after two bomb blasts on the train claimed 68 lives.

Struggling to hold back tears, Sialkot resident Sham Lal said, "My two relatives Ashok Kumar and Ramesh Kumar were reportedly injured and are in an Indian hospital. I came to India after the electronic media flashed news of the blasts."

"May God save them. My family never even thought such an incident could occur in Indian territory," Lal said.

Another Pakistani, Arif Bhatt, said, "I am thankful to the Indian High Commission, which granted visas very liberally and enabled me to reach India to enquire about my relatives who did not reach Pakistan yesterday on the Samjhauta Express."

The other Pakistanis who crossed over to India were identified as Gulam Jelani, Mohammed Asif Bhatt, Ismail Khan, Mohammed Akhtar, Amar Raja, Mohammed Sajad and Mohammed Shahjad. They were provided a bus and three armed guards by the district administration.

Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manpreet Singh, who was present at the Wagah border, said some 30 Pakistanis were granted visas to come to India to enquire about their kin. Today, 23 of them were expected to reach India, but only nine had come so far, he said.

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