Islamabad - Pakistan's Foreign Office has strongly criticized India following the recent promotion of Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit, an Indian Army officer previously associated with investigations into the 2007 Samjhauta Express terrorist attack, calling it further evidence of Indian duplicity and state support for extremism.
The Samjhauta Express, a symbol of India-Pakistan peace efforts, was bombed on February 18, 2007, near Panipat in Haryana, India, killing 68 people, including over 40 Pakistani nationals. The attack occurred just before key bilateral talks, raising suspicions at the time that it aimed to derail improving relations between the two neighbors.
In a statement, the Foreign Office spokesperson reiterated Pakistan's longstanding position that the incident points to Indian state-sponsored terrorism. "This development raises serious questions about Indian state-sponsored terrorism," the spokesperson said, adding that Pakistan demands that all those responsible for the tragic incident be brought to justice.
Early probes into the bombings initially explored various angles, including possible links to Islamist groups. However, India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) later focused on a Hindu nationalist network, charging individuals associated with Abhinav Bharat, including Swami Aseemanand (who allegedly confessed before retracting), Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, and others. Reports from that period mentioned Lt Col Purohit in connection with supplying RDX or infiltrating extremist circles as part of military intelligence work.
Purohit was arrested in 2008 primarily in relation to the 2006 Malegaon blasts and faced accusations in broader "saffron terror" investigations. He has consistently maintained he was infiltrating groups on official duty. The NIA later stated explicitly that Purohit was never formally an accused in the Samjhauta case and that there was no proof linking him to it.
In 2019, a special NIA court acquitted all four main accused in the Samjhauta case - Swami Aseemanand, Kamal Chauhan, Rajinder Chaudhary, and Lokesh Sharma - citing insufficient evidence and failure to prove the conspiracy. Pakistan described the acquittals as a "travesty of justice" that reflected a policy of protecting Hindu extremists.
Purohit was acquitted in related cases more recently and reportedly promoted in the Indian Army in 2025, prompting fresh outrage from Islamabad. Pakistan's Foreign Office has framed these developments as confirmation of "Indian duplicity and state sponsorship of terrorism against Pakistan."
Pakistani officials have repeatedly highlighted the deaths of their citizens and accused India of shielding perpetrators linked to Hindutva ideology. They argue the lack of convictions, combined with promotions of military personnel once under scrutiny, demonstrates official complicity rather than a genuine pursuit of justice. Pakistan continues to call for accountability and has contrasted this with India's frequent allegations against Pakistan regarding cross-border terrorism.
India has rejected these claims, maintaining that its investigations were thorough and that courts operate independently. Indian authorities have pointed to initial intelligence linking the attack to groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and have criticized Pakistan for not fully cooperating on related probes in the past.
The Samjhauta case remains a painful chapter for victims' families on both sides of the border, symbolizing the deep mistrust that continues to undermine India-Pakistan relations. No one has been held finally accountable for the 2007 atrocity nearly two decades later.
