Ties with Pak set to dip as Imran alleges RAW hand in Lahore blast

Sandeep Dikshit

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 4

India’s ties with Pakistan are poised for a dip after its Prime Minister Imran Khan green-lighted a campaign alleging Indian hand in blast outside Lashkar-e-Toiba chief Hafiz Saeed’s house on June 23.

“I instructed my team to brief the nation on findings of Johar Town, Lahore blast investigation today. I appreciate the diligence & speed of Punjab Police’s Counter Terrorism Dept (CTD) in unearthing the evidence and commend the excellent coordination of all our civil & military intelligence agencies,” said Imran Khan in a social media post.

The Pakistan PM directly blamed New Delhi for the blast that killed three and injured over 20. “The planning and financing of this heinous terror attack has links to Indian sponsorship of terrorism against Pakistan. The global community must mobilise international institutions against this rogue behavior,” he stated.

Shortly thereafter, Pakistan’s NSA Moeed Yusuf, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Punjab IG Inam Ghani addressed the media. “Other than the call records, we have the data on bank account in India used by handlers to transfer money for the bomb blast,” said Yusuf while alleging that a third country was used to transfer money to the orchestrators of the blast.

Ghani said the CTD investigated the matter within 16 hours and arrested a “Peter Paul David” who arranged a vehicle for the blast with a tampered engine plate. ‘Eid Gul’, an Afghan-origin man, carried out multiple reconnaissances in the targeted area and later he and his wife imbedded 20 kg of explosives in the vehicle.

The same police officer had said a weeks ago that 10 Pakistani citizens — men and women — who were involved and who executed the blast had been arrested.

Pakistan’s allegations comes two days after the MEA lodged a strong protest with Pakistan Foreign Ministry and asked it to investigate the incident of a drone hovering over the Indian High Commission premises in Islamabad on June 26. The incident came a day before explosives-laden drones were used to carry out an attack on the Jammu Air Force station on June 27, which preliminary investigations suggest had the imprint of Hafiz Saeed’s Lashkar-e-Toiba.

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