March 05, 2007	Monday	Safar 15, 1428

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NAWABSHAH, March 4: A man who returned from New Delhi on Sunday, confirmed the deaths of his father, mother and elder brother in the tragic Samjhota Express fire.

Akbar Khan who lives in Gharibabad area of Nawabshah told journalists that his father Abdul Aziz Khan, mother Razia Begum and elder brother Abdul Majeed Khan had boarded Samjhota Express at New Delhi and had been missing since the fire on the train, which claimed scores of lives.

He said that he got his passport and visa after going through a lot of agony and trauma and finally reached New Delhi to have the DNA tests to be able to identify his loved ones from among the unclaimed dead bodies which had been buried in Panipat.

He complained that no official of Pakistani high commission provided him any help in New Delhi.

Hotels and mosques refused to take him in because of his nationality, he said and added that in the end he had to seek Indian police’s help to get accommodation.

After the DNA tests, the Indian police showed him articles found on the bodies and he identified many things belonging to his father, mother and brother, including clothes, burnt passport of his brother and gifts they had received from their relatives, Mr Khan said.

He said that he was told that report of DNA tests would take two weeks and the Indians assured him that if the test results matched with those of the bodies, the government would arrange for sending the bodies to him.

Mr Khan expressed his disappointment in the apathetic attitude of Pakistani government officials who he said never extended him any help.