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RAW's role in mosque attacks not ruled out: Pak

Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Friday said the involvement of India's RAW intelligence agency in terror attacks on two mosques of the minority Ahmedi sect in Lahore could not be ruled out.

Updated on: May 29, 2010 02:06 AM IST
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Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Friday said the involvement of India's RAW intelligence agency in terror attacks on two mosques of the minority Ahmedi sect in Lahore could not be ruled out.

HT Image
HT Image

"About Balochistan (province), I am sure that RAW is involved in saboteur activities. But for Lahore we are investigating," he said while talking to journalists.

"The involvement of RAW cannot be ruled out. However, anything concrete would come forth after the investigation," Malik said, adding, the involvement of Taliban and Al Qaeda elements in the attack would also be probed.

Meanwhile, officials of the Indian High Commission here were not available for comment.

About 80 people were killed and over 100 injured when terrorists armed with suicide vests, grenades and assault rifles stormed the two mosques in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province.

A Punjabi faction of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a message sent to a TV news channel.

"But it is yet to be probed whether the security measures taken by the provincial government were adequate or not. I have sought a report from the Punjab government on the incident," he said.

According to the intelligence reports, a terrorist named Abdul Jabbar alias Nasrullah was planning to carry out attacks in Lahore while militant commander Qari Hussain was plotting attacks in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Lahore using suicide jackets procured from the Bannu region in the country’s northwest.

"One militant apprehended (during today's attack) hails from Punjab. Such people have their headquarters in Jhang. It is not a secret. They had been carrying out terrorist activities for years," he said, referring to the headquarters of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

Malik said the federal government will provide all support to Punjab and that he would visit the province within a week to discuss the issue.

"I had always been vocal that such militants exist in Punjab. If two explosive-laden trucks are seen in Dera Ghazi Khan, what are they there for? Obviously, they have some objectives," he said.

 
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Get the latest headlines from US news and global updates from Pakistan, Nepal, UK, Bangladesh, Russia and US Iran war Live, get all the latest headlines in one place on Hindustan Times.
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