Quote of the day

Minutes before the blast, they were all playing, shouting in the coach, my wife and I had to forcibly ask them to sleep. Barely had we fallen asleep when we heard a loud roar. I opened my eyes, it was very difficult, I saw my children slowly dying. Blood was streaming from their faces, the blast had occurred right near their berths.

Rana Shaukat Ali, a passenger on the Samjhauta Express, who saw five of his six children die in front of him.

Let no one miss the symbolism of a train from India to Pakistan being the site of a truly horrific terrorist act. Just less then sixty years ago, there were more than a few trains headed in the same direction that saw more than their share of violence and carnage.

If there can ever be a positive aspect to a tragedy such as this, it is the fact that both sides are seeing they have a lot more to gain by working together than by needlessly pointing fingers at each other. The response by both sides, for once, has been measured and mature, though I don't think it's entirely cynical to suggest that it would not have been so if so many Pakistanis hadn't also been victims. In any event, I'm glad to see both governments dealing with this as a human tragedy first and a political event second, at least publicly. I'm also glad to see the determination by both sides to not let this derail the peace process underway.