Indian High Commission did not pay compensation to legal heirs of seven deceased, including three from Multan. While compensation of 19 passengers was stopped because they could not be identified as their bodies were charred. Relatives of the missing people are wandering from pillar to post for the compensation.
Indian High Commissioner Sataybrata Pal handed over cheques amounting to Rs 44.55 million to 28 legal heirs of 33 Samjhota train victims in a simple ceremony here at the Indian High Commission on Thursday.
The compensation was made on the basis of the list of legal heirs provided by Pakistan and it ranges from Rs 5.32 lacs to Rs 6.65 million, depending on the number of victims of every family. The maximum amount of Rs 6.65 million was paid to Rana Shaukat Ali who lost three sons and two daughters in the train blast.
The Samjhota train blast had claimed 68 lives, including 40 Pakistanis and nine Indians. The identity of 19 victims could not be ascertained as their bodies were charred. The legal heirs of 33 Pakistani victims were identified and compensated as announced by the Indian government.
Pal expressed sympathy with relatives of victims and said that the investigations were on to identify the culprits. "Once the investigations are completed it will become a matter of public knowledge," said Pal. He also said that if required, Pakistan would be formally approached to help in investigation.
"We also have an anti terror mechanism with the government of Pakistan; if investigation in India throw up leads that need to be followed here, we will approach our counterparts through the mechanism," he said.
He said that certain elements had been trying to destroy the improving relations between the two countries. "There are some elements who do not want this (good relations). The most vile are terrorists," said Pal. He said that heirs of seven victims were yet to be identified but one of the legal heirs came to know about the compensation ceremony through media.
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