India today decided to let those injured in the Samjhauta Express fire return home, putting to rest fears of a stand-off with Pakistan over the issue. The police no longer needed their physical presence for the investigations, the Union Home Ministry said this evening.“Their statements have been recorded and they are free to return,” Union Home Secretary V K Duggal said about the status of the Pakistani nationals injured in the blast. Police have recorded their statements several times. Bodies that have been identified have already been flown back to Pakistan. Meanwhile, senior Home Ministry officials said they had no objection to a mass burial of the remaining bodies if the Ministry of External Affairs did not decide otherwise. If the MEA clears it, the mass burials could take place as early as Friday.Of the 67 bodies at the Panipat hospital, 37 have been identified. The administration has identified a spot in Mehrana near Panipat for burying the bodies. In fact, the Panipat district administration has written to the MEA and Haryana Chief Secretary seeking permission to bury the bodies. DNA samples of all bodies have been taken. The government has meanwhile reiterated that details of the investigation into the explosions would be shared with Pakistan at the first meeting of the recently-constituted Joint Working Group on Terror on March 6. “We are hopeful that we will have some inputs to share with them,” Duggal said. Though the first meeting will essentially work out the mechanism and modalities for the group’s functioning, information about the train explosions will be given to Pakistan.
