Pakistan registers protest with India over bail to Samjhauta blast accused Swami Aseemanand

NEW DELHI: Pakistan on Friday officially registered a protest with India over NIA's decision to not contest the bail granted to Swami Aseemanand, charged in connection with the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast that killed 68 people, including 42 Pakistanis.
Pakistan summoned India's deputy high commissioner to lodge a protest.
Foreign Office (FO) said that deputy high commissioner JP Singh met the director general (SA& SAARC), who lodged a protest against the decision of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to not oppose the bail granted to Aseemanand on "Special Leave Permission."
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"The government of Pakistan has serious reservations on the efficiency of the Court in processing and disposal of cases regarding terrorism, especially those involving deaths of Pakistani citizens," the foreign office said.
It said Pakistan expects India to take steps to bring to justice all those involved in the heinous act of terrorism on the Samjhauta Express, in which 42 Pakistani citizens were killed.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had earlier decided not challenge the conditional bail granted to Naba Kumar Sarkar alias Swami Aseemanand by the Punjab and Haryana high court last year in the Samjhauta blasts case.
The Union home ministry had informed the Lok Sabha that the NIA, upon examining the feasibility of filing a special leave petition, found no grounds to challenge the order in the Supreme Court.
The Samjhauta Express, the only rail link between India and Pakistan, was bombed in February, 2007.
Four Improvised Explosive Devices were planted on the Samjhauta Express on February 18, 2007, in which 68 lives were lost.
(With inputs from agencies)