Pak ''support'' to terror likely on Rajnath''s SAARC agenda

Islamabad, August 3

Cross-border terrorism is likely to be high on Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s agenda as he arrived for a meeting of SAARC nations’ interiors ministers in Pakistan’s Islamabad on Wednesday evening.

Singh has been provided tight security amid threats from Lashker-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen militant groups.

The Home Minister was flown in a helicopter to the Serena hotel in posh Islamabad locality. It is also the venue of Thursday's meeting.

Roads leading to the hotel have been heavily barricaded by  police and para-military forces.

Singh’s tweet before he left said he was "looking forward to underscore the imperative of meaningful cooperation within the region against terrorism and organised crime".

"This Conference provides a platform to discuss issues pertaining to security," he said.

Sigh is likely to speak about Pakistan’s suspected support to terrorist organsations such as Lashker-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, which operate on its soil, and demand action.

India’s most wanted criminal, Dawood Ibrahim, is also likely to be on Singh’s agenda.

Ibrahim has been accused of having engineered 13 serial blasts in Mumbai in 1993 that killed more than 250 people and left scores wounded. 

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However, it was not immediately clear if Singh would meet his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan separately.

Rallies

Thousands from various religious and jihadi organisations protested across various Pakistani cities against Singh’s visit and the ongoing unrest in Kashmir.

All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Hizbul Mujahideen and United Jihad Council (UJC) were among the protesters.

LeT founder Hafiz Saeed Saeed — the suspected mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack — led the protests.

Addressing protesters a rally at Lahore's Mall Road said Saeed criticised Pakistan Government for welcoming Singh.

"We were not expecting that the Pakistani rulers would welcome Singh who is responsible for the killings of innocent Kashmiris," he said.

The Home Minister’s two-day visit to Pakistan comes at a time when relationship between the two neighbours is strained over a recent unrest in Kashmir over a militant’s death and Pakistan’s seemingly “provocative” response.

Saeed warned of a countrywide protest in Pakistan by his organisation against Singh’s visit. 

Kashmir has been on edge since security forces killed Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8. More than 45 people have been killed and nearly 6,000 people were injured in violent protests that followed the killing. — Agencies