Al-Qaida operates in Pakistan, confesses minister
Lahore, Pakistan: The Provincial Home Minister of Pakistani Punjab has confessed that Al-Qaida is still operating and executing terror attacks in Pakistan.
However, Home Minister believes that Maulana Asif Umer of India is the leader of Al-Qaida for the whole subcontinent and he is living in Afghanistan.
While addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Provincial Home Minister Col. (retired) Shuja Khanzada said that all terrorists who were killed or arrested on June 29 in joint operation in the outskirt of Lahore near Kala Shah Kaku belonged to Al-Qaida and their target was headquarters of Intelligence Bureau on Mall Road Lahore.
He said that operation was successful that was jointly conducted by law enforcement agencies. He claimed that the head of Al-Qaida Pakistan was killed in the operation.
He informed national press that arrested terrorists shared very useful information and special teams have been sent to Karachi, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and other areas for busting sleeping cells of Al-Qaida in other parts of Pakistan.
Shuja Khanzada said that due to Zarb-e-Azb and Khyber-II operations, terrorists had dispersed and a number of them had left the country. He said that a plan was hatched by some terrorists to carry out terrorist attack in Lahore and they also had the support of Al-Qaida leadership. He said that the nominated leadership of Al-Qaida in Punjab was leading this plan and the target of terrorists was Intelligence Bureau Mall Road.
He confirmed that information were passed on by top intelligence agency of Pakistan ISI to Punjab government about terrorists presence in kala Shah Kaku. The Home Minister said that law enforcement agencies also knew that Lahore was the target of terrorists.
He congratulated Pak Army, ISI, Counter Terrorism Department and other law enforcement agencies for taking timely action and foiling the designs of terrorists.
Col. Shuja Khanzada said that there were intelligence reports that three persons had left from Wana, South Waziristan, out of which, two were suicide bombers and third was their leader. According to information shared by the minister with media, terrorists took a Lahore bound bus on June 24 from Dera Ismail Khan and their leader went back. Two terrorists stayed at the center of a Tableghi Jamaat for two nights from which they were brought to Al Raheem Housing Society of Al-Kareem Town in Kala Shah Kaku where a terrorist had already rented a house for five thousand rupees per month.
Provincial Minister said that after intelligence surveillance when the law enforcement agencies were sure that all terrorists were in the house, ISI, CTD and other forces conducted a raid in which two terrorists Hamza and Abdullah were injured in firing who were taken into custody. A member of intelligence agency was also injured in the firing from inside the house. He said that firing between security forces and terrorists continued for 20 to 25 minutes during which a terrorist came out and wanted to carry-out a suicide attack on security agencies but he was killed. He said that among the terrorists, who were killed Faisal Mubashir belonged to Faisalabad, Saqib Hussain to Rawalpindi and Muhammad Nauman of Tank. Terrorist who wanted to carry out suicide attack was named Abdali and he was the leader of the Al-Qaida for Pakistan and Punjab.
The Home Minister further said that Maulana Asif Umer of India is the leader of Al-Qaida for the whole subcontinent and he lives in Afghanistan.
He said that earlier, the leader for this area was Mahmood who was an American nationality holder and was killed in a drone attack. Shuja Khanzada said that four Kalashinoves, 26 loaded magazines, two rocket launchers, 32 launchers, four suicide jackets, 41 hand grenades, four remote control devises, 15 detonaters, pistols, bullets, 15 kilograms RDX and other latest weapons have been recovered from terrorists. The terrorists also received training in Al-Qaida camp for five months. Replying to questions, he said that intelligence is being shared with Afghanistan.
He said that in the light of information received from terrorists, special teams have been sent to Karachi, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad. He said that effective measures are being taken for controlling funding to terrorists. A briefing was also given in the press conference while video statements of terrorists and the weapons recovered from the house were also shown to the journalists.
Spokesman Punjab government, Syed Zaeem Hussain Qadri, Inspector General Police Punjab Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera and Additional IG Counter Terrorism Department were also present in press conference.
