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Ulema urged to withdraw 48-hour probe ultimatum
Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfikar Ali Mirza has appealed to the ulema demanding investigations completed within 48 hours to withdraw their ultimatum, and dispelled the impression that the Iranian Jundullah was involved in the Chehlum attacks.

Talking to newsmen after presiding over a meeting of the law-enforcement agencies held on Saturday to mull over the Karachi situation, he said it was not logical to give investigators a timeframe of 48 hours.

He appealed to the ulema, who at a press conference on Friday gave the police 48 hours to complete their investigations, to withdraw their demand.

He said elements behind the Ashura blast were also involved in Friday's twin blasts.

He said the suspects were misleading the investigators by claiming that they belonged to the Iran-based banned outfit Jundullah.

He said elements belonging to the tribal areas were more likely to be involved in the carnage. "However, it would be premature to say anything with certainty till the probe is completed," he added.

The minister said investigations were under way and facts would be made public when the process completed.

Answering a question about the combing of the parking lot of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, he said the bomb was concealed in a tin container.

He said since there were fumes and particles of chemicals and explosives in the air after the second blast, it was not possible for any dog to detect the explosive device at the JPMC.

In reply to a question as to why the bomb-detecting equipment was borrowed from the Civil Aviation Authority, he said police often sought help from other organisations on such occasions, which was a routine practice.

He denied that the Sindh police had a shortage of bomb-detecting equipment.

Replying to a question about the failure of the police to provide proper security on the Chehlum day, he said it was a major achievement of the police that the main mourning procession, which was the real target of the terrorists, was provided complete security.

Dr Mirza said the police had received information that some terrorists might be present in the main mourning procession.

He said he with the IG of Sindh visited the main procession and appealed to the ulema to move quickly so that the procession could reach its destination as soon as possible.

He said because of tight security, the terrorists could not hit the main procession and instead selected sites where police presence was not as strong.

He said it was not possible to screen each and every vehicle as there were hundreds of thousands of vehicles on Karachi roads on any day.

Earlier, he presided over a meeting that reviewed the overall security situation in Sindh, especially Karachi.

The meeting was also attended by Home Secretary Arif Khan, IG Sultan Salahuddin Babar Khattak, Director-General of the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) Maj-Gen Liaquat Ali, Karachi CCPO Waseem Ahmed, the DIGs of the east, west, and south zones, and senior officers of intelligence agencies.

The home minister called for joint efforts to arrest the culprits involved in the Chehlum bomb blasts.

The police and Rangers were directed to start their raids for the arrest of absconders, proclaimed offenders and criminal elements under their joint action plan.
Posted by: Fred 2010-02-07
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=289831