Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Tuesday that India was involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan, adding that the country had been burning in the fire of terrorism for decades.
“Pakistan has been facing terrorism for several decades, and Pakistanis including citizens, personnel of armed forces, journalists, and politicians have either lost their lives in this war or became its victims,” the interior minister said addressing a press conference in Islamabad along with Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Additional IG Imran Mehmood.
Sanaullah said Pakistanis had given innumerable sacrifices in wiping out terrorism from the country.
He said gatherings at mosques, Imambargahs, important buildings, and elsewhere were targeted. India had remained involved in every form of terrorism in Pakistan.
India was acting just like an enemy and at the same time trying to conceal its brutalities in the occupied Kashmir, he added.
The minister said the arrest of spy Kulbhushan Yadev and his statement was sufficient to prove that India was involved in every act of terrorism in Pakistan and was adopting different ways for the purpose.
He said they had “undeniable evidence” that could establish India and its premier spy agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), were involved in different terror incidents.
“Today, the inspector-general will brief you on a terrorism incident that we have decided to bring before the world and unveil India’s face of terrorism,”
In his briefing, AIG CTD said that an explosion was reported in a car in Lahore’s Johar town on June 23, that killed three civilians and injured 22 others.
He said that soon after the incident CTD registered an FIR into the case, after which three terrorists were arrested within 24 hours of the incident.
The top police official said that no terrorist organisation had accepted the responsibility for this attack, adding that as much as 200 kilograms of explosive materials were used in the blast and a car was used in it.
“Peter Paul David supervised the blast and was directly affiliated with the Indian spy agency RAW - Sajjad Hussain was caught along with Peter who was his assistant, the third terrorist Ziaullah was arrested on the identification of Peter,” he said adding that Ziaullah, who was the brother of Samiul Haq used to send money through David.
“He [Ziaullah] would also facilitate others in Pakistan and this was the main lead that helped us move forward,” the AIG CTD said.
“Eid Gul and his wife, Ayesha Gul, were arrested after 5-6 days,” Mehmood said and added that Peter gave the car to Gul and he installed the explosives in the vehicle.
After interrogating Gul, the CTD was finally able to arrest Sami ul Haq, who, according to Mhemhood, was the main handler of the RAW-sponsored terror activities in Pakistan.
“When Sami was identified, the law enforcement agencies were still unable to catch him,” Mehmood said, adding that the police arrested Sami through intelligence reports when he was trying to enter Pakistan via Balochistan on April 24, 2022, along with his brother-in-law, Uzair Akbar, who also assisted Sami in terror activities.
Mehmood said that the CTD then arrested another terrorist, Naveed Akhtar, who did the surveillance and selected the target.
“Naveed was a labourer in the Middle East and was in jail because he could not pay his fine. A RAW agent, Saleem Sheikh, approached him and told him that he would pay his fine, but, Naveed would have to engage in terror activities in Pakistan.”
Mehmood said as Naveed was arrested, several terror activities were thwarted.
During the presser, Sanaullah, however, clarified that the incident took place near the residence of Hafiz Saeed, chief of the banned Jamatu Dawa, and it seemed that Saeed’s house was their target.