Re: Who's responsible for 18th Oct Bomb Blasts in Karachi - Govt, PPP, Jihadis!? (mer
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: Preliminary investigation into the Karachi blasts rejected the involvement of three persons named by Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto as behind the incident.
The report about the October 18 carnage, prepared by seven security agencies, was submitted to President Gen Pervez Musharraf here on Monday. It suggests that it was a suicide attack and the prime target was Benazir but she survived due to the bulletproof truck.
According to sources, the report denied the involvement of the three persons that were named by Benazir Bhutto in her letter to the president before her arrival in Pakistan, alleging that the three might plan attack on her during her reception.
The sources said the report suggests that one of the blasts was a suicide attack and no evidence was available about the other explosion. The report viewed that the suicide attacker probably first hurled a hand-grenade and than blew himself up. Just before the blasts, Benazir went for rest in the internal portion of the bulletproof truck, therefore, she survived the attack, the report said.
The sources said during the investigation security and intelligence agencies have made some arrests. According to the report, the attack seemed to be a continuation of the Charsadda and Army Mess blasts.
The PPP showed dissatisfaction over the investigations being carried out by the security agencies. PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said that the only reason the bombers succeeded was because the lights had been shut on Shahrae Faisal and consequently the approaching car and bombers could not be spotted and hid in the dark.
He said the PPP views lack of streetlights on Shahrae Faisal as a deliberate act of sabotage to facilitate the bombers. Babar said the PPP has asked for DIG Manzoor Mughal to be excluded from the investigation. DIG Mughal was the officer present when Asif Ali Zardari was nearly killed as a result of police torture in 1999 and was only saved due to the intervention of the courts, the media, the diplomatic community and the then governor.
He said the PPP has given a panel of police officers to the regime from whom persons for the inquiry should be picked. He said the PPP has called for a Pakistani inquiry into the bomb blasts and asked the government to seek technical cooperation from international experts who have experience of investigation into terrorist attacks.
He said the government had told the PPP that it could not provide more than three police vehicles at any time, which meant one part of Benazir Bhuttoís vehicle would be left unprotected from which terrorists could attack.
Spock, do post the link pls. Thanks.