Lahore: While many in Pakistan have pointed the finger of suspicion at India for masterminding the 3/3 terrorist attacks in Lahore, there are those in the country's security establishment who suspect jehadi elements from Punjab for carrying out the assault, which has the hallmark of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Although there was no official announcement from Islamabad blaming India, unnamed intelligence sources as well as the hawks, including the former ISI chief General (retd) Hameed Gul, blamed the Research and Analysis Wing for staging a tit-for-tat attack to avenge the Mumbai assault.
The Pakistan foreign office spokesman refrained from directly blaming India, saying the assault was perpetrated by enemies of Pak-Lanka friendship, but some in the security establishment believe the attack were orchestrated by the Punjabi militants furious over some recent actions taken by the government in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks -- especially the arrests of several key jehadi leaders.
These sources believe that the double-edged blood-spattered attack was aimed at damaging the credibility of the PPP government for such a grave security failure besides easing off the tremendous pressure which had mounted over the jehadi elements after the 26/11 attacks.
They might believe that this attacks would force India to go on the back foot. The sources in the security establishment point out that the Lahore attack, reportedly carried out by a group of 12 armed gunmen backpacks, most of whom had bears, bore similarity to that of the 10 gunmen, who carried out attacks in Mumbai.
Talking to newsmen after the attack, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer said it was a well planned attack and these were the same methods and the same sort of people as hit Mumbai.
However, a senior PPP leader and a Sindh Assembly member Nabeel Gabool has blamed India in so many words for having carried out the attack. "The Lahore incident was a replay of the 26/11 attack and most probably carried out by the Indian intelligence agencies. I am saying so because of the fact that those investigating the incident have recovered some India-made weapons as well as food items from the crime scene.
In a related development, there are reports that the former Inspector General, Punjab police, Shaukat Javed, who was sacked after the imposition of Governor's rule in the province, had warned the provincial authorities in an official communiqué on January 22 that the RAW agents in Pakistan might target the Sri Lankan cricket team.
The fact remains that there is no precedence for the Indian intelligence agency having the ability to carry out such a well organised attack inside Pakistan. The sources in the Pakistani security establishment point out that RAW-sponsored terrorist attacks carried out in Pakistan in the past had been confined to bomb blasts of limited nature through time devices planted by Indian agents like Sarabjit Singh who has already been condemned to death for killing over a dozen Pakistani nationals.
Readers' comments:
lolz. What a claim by Pakistan!
Saturday, March 7, 2009 15:17 IST
jatin
The Mumbai attack and this one are part of a conspiracy by those who do not want friendly relations between India and Pakistan. After the Mumbai attack, we Indians started blaming Pakistan. Now, they are doing the same. No one is ready to think who is planning these attacks and getting the maximum advantage out of them -- the jihadis, the Americans, or someone else.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009 14:54 IST
Rasheed Ahmad
Well, here's the thing. Let's STOP and think for a moment:
1. Perhaps Pakistanis want to live in a state where austere Islamic law rules and forces everyone to pray 5 times a day, no matter what, or face corporal punishment.
2. Perhaps the average Pakistani does not mind having the Taliban and (similar Islamist) forces (Lashkar, Hizbul Mujahideen, etc) ruling them and allowing live burial of women suspected of cheating on their husbands.
3. Perhaps most Pakistanis love having their men grow full beards.
4. Perhaps Pakistanis want desperately to destroy all secular education.
5. Perhaps Pakistanis believe that the Taliban and ISI are forces of good and justice.
6. Perhaps Pakistanis don't mind if all girls' education (except Islamic) is banned and women are stoned to death for violations of the Sharia and the Hadith.
7. Maybe Pakistanis would not mind if all Shias were tortured and killed (since they are not really Muslims in Sunni minds).
8. Perhaps Pakistan does not mind blaming India... or the West... or Mossad... or any Jew... or any open-minded Muslim... or anyone else... so long as India gets bad press and the blame.
9. Perhaps Pakistan is satisfied that the Taliban are ruling Swat, just 100 miles or so from Islamabad.
10. Perhaps Pakistan loves all the Pathans carrying out criminal activity in Karachi (and funding their Taliban brethren in the NWFP).
Here are some more reasons to leave Pakistanis alone, since they know what they are doing and believe their country is just fine...
11. Perhaps Pakistan doesn't really love cricket.
12. We are aware of the desire of the good people of Pakistan to have the kafirs/infidels (Americans, NATO) evicted from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Their desire is just, righteous, and for the good of all Muslims, especially Pakistanis, since it will speed up the rule of forces similar to the Taliban in Pakistan, where all music, movies, scientific, rational, and other evil Western thought can be purged from the Islamic minds of good Pakistanis/Afghanis.
This is what Pakistanis want. The Americans should leave Pakistan alone and let it invade India and convert all non-Muslim Indians to Islam and kill those who resist.
This is the Pakistani way. This is what they want. We must leave them alone.
We, as the West, have to question ourselves because Pakistan does not see us as their friends, but as their enemy, and hence they keep us closer than their friends, because they are suspicious of us.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009 13:55 IST
Shahab
Where was the Pakistani team when the attack happened? Why didn't they come along with the Sri Lankans? Remember, the umpires' bus was part of the Lankan convoy. Did they know about the attack beforehand or were they warned? If so, by whom, Pakistani or Indian officials?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009 13:09 IST
bues
All I can say is lol for blaming this on India. I don't understand why they think we will try to take revenge in such a manner. If revenge was what we wanted, we would have gone to war with Pakistan after 26/11. We Indians always want peace and, I believe, so do the common people in Pakistan. But each time India has offered a hand of friendship, it has been stabbed in the back.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009 12:29 IST
satish
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