Johar Town blast: Foreign hostile agency was involved, all suspects held, says Buzdar

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has said a foreign hostile agency is involved in the Johar Town blast while the Counterterrorism Department has arrested all local and international characters who were behind the Johar Town blast within four days of the incident.

The chief minister appreciated the performance of the CTD Punjab for pursuing the case in a professional manner. Terming it a "great achievement" for the Punjab government, the chief minister said all those involved in the incident have been arrested.

Addressing a presser along with Law Minister Basharat Raja, Information Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan and IGP Inam Ghani on Monday, Buzdar said: "It was revealed that an anti-Pakistan agency was directly involved and it provided financial aid to the terrorists." Buzdar said that after a thorough investigation and sufficient evidence obtained, the authorities have concluded that an "anti-state agency is directly involved in the terrorist incident and had provided financial support" to the elements behind the Johar Town blast. "I want to inform you that the Punjab government has traced all high-profile cases in the province and arrested suspects," he said and added that during the investigation, all evidence gathered from the blast site pointed towards international elements providing financial aid to the domestic terrorist network.

“The CTD Punjab investigated the case in a professional manner and identified those involved in the blast within a span of 16 hours,” he said. “They identified all domestic and international elements involved,” he said and added the terrorists were arrested within four days through raids conducted in different parts of the country, including Karachi and KP.

Buzdar elaborated that the buyer of the vehicle involved in the attack and those tasked with planting the explosives through alteration in the vehicle and executing the plan have also been arrested.

Earlier on Monday, CTD sources claimed the arrest of the suspect who parked the explosive-laden car used in the Johar Town blast, from Rawalpindi. The suspect has been identified as Eid Gul. The sources claimed that after Gul’s arrest, another suspect, David Paul, has been identified as a terrorist. An investigator said Peter David Paul had himself brought the car used in the terrorist incident from Gujranwala seven days prior to the blast and handed it over to Eid Gul. The police said the vehicle’s registration number was LEB-9928 and it had been reported stolen 11 years ago on November 29, 2010 from Gujranwala’s Cantt Police Station area.

Meanwhile, IG Inam Ghani delved into details of the investigation, saying that the CTD Punjab arrested the culprits "within hours" of the incident, adding that the police was able to ascertain how the car used in the blast was bought and through which means. "We have arrested the linchpin who carried out the blast in Pakistan," said Ghani. "We have arrested the ones who were used in Pakistan to conduct the blast. Those who bought the car and repaired it as well are also under arrest," he revealed.

Ghani said 10 Pakistanis were arrested in connection with the blast, adding that they comprised both men and women. He said the Punjab police have managed to identify the people who are part of the foreign agency involved in the incident. "We have shared information with our intelligence agencies as to who the members of the anti-state agency are," said Ghani. "A JIT has been constituted under the chief minister's directives to investigate the case further" he added.

The Punjab police chief said the way this attack was carried out indicates that this was not the first time this group carried out subversive activities in Pakistan. "As far as the hostile anti-state agencies are concerned, we have names at the moment, but if there are others involved, we will get to them as well," added Ghani.

In response to a question, the Punjab IG rejected media reports that the suspect's name had been listed under the Fourth Schedule of the Terrorist Act. Ghani said the car used in the explosion had been stolen in 2010 but had been recovered by the police in 2011. He said as per footage obtained from a CCTV camera, it can be seen that a police officer had stopped the car but it had Superdari [vehicle seized by the police during a criminal case but later released to the person entitled to its possession] documents. He shared additional details about the suspect who carried out the attack.

"Even though he has origins in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the man is a resident of Punjab and speaks fluent Punjabi," he added. Answering another question, the IG Punjab said: "You all know which the hostile agencies and the hostile countries are." However, he stopped short of naming them and said the police had shared the relevant information with Pakistan's intelligence agencies. He said that these agencies are using agents for money to carry out subversive activities in Pakistan.

On June 23, at least three people were killed and several others were injured when an explosives-laden vehicle was detonated through an improvised explosive device (IED) near the house of Hafiz Saeed. On the next day of the blast, David Paul was arrested at the Lahore airport after being offloaded from a Karachi-bound flight as he had purchased the black Corolla car used in the bombing. Paul was a broker and had a history of travelling between Dubai and Pakistan. He also had an intra-country travel history too.

The CTD has been taking into custody his relatives and the people, who had been in contact with him for a considerable time in the recent past. A raid was conducted on his residence in Mahmudabad, Karachi, where his belongings such as a laptop, etc along with two family members were taken into custody. Another arrest was made in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The suspect was also linked to Paul.

The CCTV video obtained by the law enforcement agencies shows him driving through Lahore’s roads before reaching the crime scene where he parked the car and fled. Peter Paul David had visited Lahore three times in the last one-and-a-half months and resided there for a total of 27 days. The agencies, according to sources, have found evidence that he had met several people, while they have also obtained his immigration data. The car used in the blast was registered in his name.

APP adds: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Monday disclosed that a very dangerous terrorist group, linked with Indian intelligence agency RAW, has been arrested from Karachi on a mission to conduct terrorist activities in major cities of the country.

Sheikh Rashid, however, clarified that this group was not involved in the recent Lahore blast but, added that they found involvement of another group linked with Indian intelligence in the terrorist act.

Details of suspected group could not be revealed at the moment, he said, adding that they have arrested those involved in the cowardly act with one facilitator. As the country has a central geographical location, the government was facing international pressure so that no one would be able to use our land for their nefarious designs and create any instability in the region, the minister said while talking to a private news channel.

Keeping in view the prevailing situation in Afghanistan, Sheikh Rashid said Pakistan was installing electronic system on Torkham and Chaman for better border security arrangements to secure its 88 percent border boundaries with Afghanistan.

Whereas, 46 to 48 percent area with Iran border has been fenced which would be completed this year, he informed.

Replying to a query he said, Afghan people were very happy with the announcement that Pakistan has not allowed its land for any offensive activity against Afghanistan. Pakistan has to see Afghanistan as its neighbourhood, not as a thousand miles away, "this is our new strategy? he quoted.

Replying to another question regarding general elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), he said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would form its government there, adding, neither Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) could succeed there nor Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN).

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan would visit Rawlakot, Mirpur and Muzaffarabad after July 2, adding, the election rallies of PTI would show the trend of people's favourite party, hoping that PPP politics in Azad Kashmir would end.

Replying to a question regarding Bilawal Bhutto's claim where he called the prime minister a security risk, Sheikh Rashid said it was a great tragedy in Pakistan that politicians did not realise responsibility of their words. He said that the game of misleading masses through words has become a common practice in Pakistan, however, politicians did not dare talk on the ground realities.

In another query, about not giving air bases to the United States, he said that the doors of dialogue should not be closed, adding, Pakistan wanted to take the whole world on board regarding the matter.