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Islamabad to take up issue of 171 RAW-trained terrorists with Kabul
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad is set to take up with Kabul the issue of 171 RAW-trained Afghan terrorists who intelligence agencies say sneaked into Pakistan two months ago and are yet to be traced.Intelligence agencies suspect that these Afghans were involved in the recent spate of suicide bombings in Pakistan. Sources told Daily Times that intelligence agencies informed a meeting chaired by Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Wednesday that 25 of the 171 Afghans had links with RAW agents in Indian consulates at Jalalabad and Kandahar. The sources said that the Afghans had crossed the border via Torkham and Chaman two months ago and had spread in the settled areas of the NWFP, Sindh and Punjab for suicide bombings. The sources said that the intelligence agencies ruled out Al Qaedas role in the recent terrorist incidents and held the RAW network responsible for the suicide bombings in Islamabad, NWFP and other parts of the country. The sources said that the government had decided to take up this issue with the Afghan government through diplomatic channels. They added that the Foreign Office representative present at the meeting had been asked to prepare a draft of all evidence of RAW activities for taking up the matter with the Afghan government. The sources said that the meeting had also decided to deploy Punjab Rangers for the security of the Diplomatic Enclave, foreign missions, sensitive installations, important personalities and maintaining law and order in the federal capital. They said that 60 platoons of the Frontier Constabulary were being sent back to the NWFP to tighten security in the restive province. The sources said that the Interior Ministry had sanctioned the recruitment of 7,500 personnel for the Islamabad Capital Territory Police, and asked the Punjab police to recruit more personnel as well. The Interior Ministry has ordered the Islamabad district administration and the police to submit a report on the criminal record of militant suspects in the federal capital as well as information about the staff and security situation of all private organisations. The meeting also decided to issue orders to the provincial home departments and the Islamabad administration to tighten security for the Pakistan Peoples Party leadership after the blast at the partys camp set up to welcome Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on Tuesday night. The meeting issued directions to the district coordination officers and district police officers to ensure that no Islamic organisation arranged big gatherings so that anti-state elements could not exploit the situation. Posted by: John Frum 2007-07-20 |
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