At least 64 passengers, including Pakistani nationals, were killed Monday in a suspected terrorist attack on the Samjhauta Express - the 'friendship train' between India and Pakistan - near Panipat in Haryana. The suspected terrorist bombing - said to be triggered by improvised explosive devices (IED) - was clearly aimed at derailing the peace process between India and Pakistan as Indian and Pakistani nationals, most of them poor people, were targeted in the attack. Foreign ministers' level talks between the two countries are to resume in New Delhi Tuesday.

Mobile phones or remote controlled devices could have been used to activate the IEDs, police officials said. A devastating fire engulfed two coaches - No. 10 and 11 - of the Atari Special 4001 train just after 1 a.m. Monday. The passengers were on their way from Delhi to Lahore. Most of the passengers were killed due to burns and suffocation inside the two coaches. Scores of other passengers were injured, 20 of them critically, and were rushed to the civil hospital here for treatment.

Several passengers, including women, children and old people, jumped out of the burning train even as it was still moving. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot but they could control the fire only after two hours. "I and my husband jumped out of the moving train," an elderly woman said.

The train had left Old Delhi Railway Station after 10 p.m. Sunday and was on its way to Atari - the last station on the Indian side, 25 km ahead of Sikh holy city Amritsar - from where the passengers would have boarded the Pakistani train to go to Lahore. From Atari, Lahore is just 30 km.

Police officials, after inspecting the site, said that IEDs were used by suspected terrorists as passengers had heard a blast in the train before its coaches caught fire. The police later recovered a suitcase from another coach of the train, that had not caught fire, in which two more IEDs were kept. They were defused by bomb disposal experts.

Senior railway officials reaching the site from Delhi said that the terrorist had planned to blow up more coaches of the train. "Three IEDs have been defused," the railway general manager said. The other eight coaches of the train were allowed to continue their journey to Atari with passengers Monday morning.

Dozens of passengers with burn injuries were pulled out from the train by local residents who heard their cries from the burning train. The injured were rushed to the civil hospital here for treatment. Most passengers in the train (Atari special 4001) were said to be Pakistani nationals headed for Lahore. District police chief M.S. Sheoran said that the train caught fire near Shiva village crossing near this town. He said that casualties could be more since the coaches had a capacity of 70 passengers.

CONDEMNATION OF TERRORIST ATTACK

The attack was condemned by MPs and Hindu bodies in the UK. The following Early Day Motion was tabled the House of Commons by Stephen Pound MP, Chairman of Labour Friends of India: "That this House condemns those responsible for the terrorist attacks that killed 66 people and injured many more on the train from New Delhi, India to Lahore, Pakistan on Sunday 18th February 2007; expresses its sympathy and condolences to the families of the killed and the injured; recognises that by targeting civilians the terrorists seek to destabilise any opportunity for peace between two countries seeking to improve bilateral relationships and understanding; and urges India and Pakistan to be firm in their resolution in the face of such murderous and indiscriminate attacks. "

"India and Pakistan have entered their 60th year of independence from British rule. The two countries are in the midst of high-level negotiations to resolve the Kashmir issue that has soured bilateral relations for decades. It is clear that those who planted the bombs do not want peace and stability in the region," said Ramesh Kallidai, secretary general of the Hindu Forum of Britain.

Britain is gearing up to a year of celebrations of the 60th anniversary of both countries and several spectacular events are planned, notably by the Mayor of London. Recently, an Indo-Pakistan Friendship Forum had been launched to bring the two communities in the UK closer.

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