however, our respected propaganda minister seems to suggest, no not suggest but belief that al qaeda was behind those attacks…how dumb does he think we are…boot lickers
RAWALPINDI, Aug 9: Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Monday more terrorist attacks may take place in the country as Al Qaeda was on the run this time and was making desperate retaliatory attacks with extraordinary vehemence following the recent arrests of a number of its key leaders.
The minister was responding to queries from newsmen at a function organized in connection with the Independence Day celebrations.
**He said that the incident of Saturday’s twin bomb blasts in the Karachi city’s industrial area could be repeated in other cities and parts of the country in the coming days, because the terrorists wanted to hit back with all their force after the recent spat of arrests of their key leaders, who carried millions of dollars bounty on their heads. **
“Their (terrorists) repeated arrests and the success of our law enforcement agencies have made them more desperate and they are in great panic and we know that now they would retaliate with their full might,” Sheikh Rashid said.
Answering a question, he hoped that the arrest of three or four more Al Qaeda’s main leaders would certainly break the back of the terrorists and as a consequence the incidence of terrorism would go down considerably.
Information received during interrogations from the arrested terrorists had provided leads to other key elements of the terrorist group hiding in Pakistan, the minister further said.
He, however, observed that Al Qaeda was re-grouping in Pakistan and their activities had also increased resultantly. When asked whether the government was planing new operation in the tribal area of Wana, he said: “Our operation against Al Qaeda is on since Sept 11, 2001 (when the Pentagon and the World Trade Centre was attacked). But, at present our law enforcement agencies have been equipped with sophisticated gadgetry to weed out terrorism.”
He dispelled the impression created by some media reports regarding the handing over of the Al Qaeda’s computer master mind, Mohammad Naeem Khan, and another key leader of the terrorists network, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, to the United States, and said: "They are both still in Pakistan and are being grilled by our own law enforcement agencies.
The computer engineer (Mohammad Naeem Khan) is a Pakistani and could not be handed over to any other country." He said that the government was using both political and military means to weed out terrorists from the Federally Administered Tribal Area.
The government was not making any extraordinary demands on the people of tribal areas, it simply wanted the registration of all the foreigners living in these areas, he added.
Replying to a question regarding the law and order situation in the Balochistan, the minister said: “No military operation is going on in the province.”
The law enforcement agencies, however, were chasing and arresting those few elements who wanted to disturb the harmony there, he observed. The government was well aware that some hidden hands, opposed to development projects in Balochistan, were involved in undermining the peace in the province, he said, adding that they did not want to see Balochistan prosperous, he added.
Terming the Gwadar project as the backbone of the country’s economy, he said that the completion of the project would bring economic revolution. Therefore, he added, the army was establishing cantonments in Sui, Kohlu and Gwadar to protect the project.
When asked as to why the military was always stationed at those points which had greater potential for economic benefits and promises like Gwadar, he said that the province was part of Pakistan and the government could establish cantonments anywhere in the country in order to ensure law and order.
http://www.dawn.com/2004/08/10/top2.htm