On the 19th anniversary of the Samjhauta Express terrorist attack, which claimed the lives of 68 innocent passengers, including 44 Pakistani nationals on February 18, 2007 in India, the Government of Pakistan issued a strong condemnation. Spokesperson Mr. Tahir Andrabi expressed severe disappointment at the Indian government’s response to this atrocity, highlighting how nineteen years have passed with little progress towards justice for the bereaved families.
The statement detailed that all four perpetrators—Swami Aseemanand (who publicly confessed), Lieutenant Colonel Purohit of the Indian Army, and Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur—had been shamelessly acquitted. This decision underscores India’s complicity in allowing these attacks to continue under its official and political regime.
India’s recent exoneration of these individuals comes against a backdrop where Hindutva extremism and “Saffron terror” have intensified within Indian society, nineteen years after the attack. The Government of Pakistan strongly demanded that all those involved be held accountable through fair trials for the horrific acts committed by extremists who motivated this inhumane act.
The families of the innocent Pakistani victims—killed brutally at the hands of these extremist forces—are deserving of closure and justice. However, the current Indian government’s actions only serve to compound its role as a state sponsor of terrorism, exemplified by its consistent anti-Pakistan propaganda, including false allegations about terrorism.
In this environment, India’s disregard for the plight of Pakistani families in such attacks has further exposed its duplicity and disregard for international law. The Government of Pakistan reiterated its demand that perpetrators be brought to justice before an impartial court and offered a solemn plea for closure to those who have been left without answers or hope after such prolonged suffering.
February 26, 2026
ISLAMABAD