A car bomb attack on the US consulate in Karachi on Friday left 11 people dead and 40 injured. The US has since decided to shut down all its diplomatic missions in Pakistan for the weekend. The attack came a day after US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s visit to the country.
Police say a white Suzuki van packed with explosives rammed into a police check post separating the Marriott Hotel from the consulate. The blast left a crater on the road and shattered windows in a 1km radius. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Despite government claims that the Al-Qaeda was behind the attack, the intelligence agencies do not think they did it. Their prime suspects are the Lashkar-e-Umer (LeU), a new group formed by activists of Kashmiri groups - the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi - after they were banned by Pakistan in January. Its headquarters are in Karachi.
The agencies had warned President Pervez Musharraf in a report that the LeU has already formed fidayeen (suicide) squads to attack foreigners, particularly US and UK citizens. The same group is believed to be behind the suicide attack on May 8 that killed 12 French naval personnel. It is headed by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi leader Qari Abdul Hai, alias Qari Asad, alias Talha.
The LeU does not have offices, unlike most militant groups in Pakistan. It works under cover. Its aim is to force the Musharraf government to call off the crackdown on Jehadi groups, according to the intelligence report. A Karachi based trust, the Al-Rasheed, is believed to be the source of LeU’s funding. The trust has sent over ₹500 mWion to militants in Mghanistan, Chechnya and Kosovo.
{{/usCountry}}The LeU does not have offices, unlike most militant groups in Pakistan. It works under cover. Its aim is to force the Musharraf government to call off the crackdown on Jehadi groups, according to the intelligence report. A Karachi based trust, the Al-Rasheed, is believed to be the source of LeU’s funding. The trust has sent over ₹500 mWion to militants in Mghanistan, Chechnya and Kosovo.
{{/usCountry}}The Interior Ministry has asked the police to increase security at President House where General Musharraf lives. The ministry fears the jehadis may try to kill him for betraying their cause.
Pakistan has said terrorist incidents cannot weaken the government’s resolve to fight terrorism. Minister for Information Nisar Memon said: “These incidents serve as an eye-opener for those who have been harping on the tune that Pakistan is an exporter of terrorism.” He did not rule out the involvement of any terrorist group, “including RAW”.