By Mashal Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities on Tuesday claimed that they have arrested several members including the head of a major network operating by the Indian intelligence agency in the South Asian country.

The country intelligence apprehended the network during an investigation of a powerful blast near the residence of Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed in Johar Town in which three people had killed and injured 24 others, including a police constable in June 2021. 

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that blast was carried out by the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the premier intelligence agency of India.

“There was clear evidence of India carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan,” said Sanaullah.

“We have decided to bring our stance before the world and unveil India’s face of terrorism,” Dawn quoted the interior minister told reporters in Islamabad along with Punjab Counter Terrorism Department Inspector General Imran Mehmood.

“For decades, Pakistan has been burning in the fire of terrorism. Our mosques, imambargahs, important buildings, and gatherings have been targeted.

“Today, the matter that we are putting before you […] we have evidence of India’s involvement in it,” Sanaullah said.

Last year, the then information minister Fawad Chaudhry and National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf also accused New Delhi was behind the said attack in Lahore.

IG Mehmood while briefing the reporters said that they had reached the culprits within 24 hours.

“Basically, at 9am on June 23, 2021, a bomb blast was reported in Lahore’s Johar Town. Three citizens were martyred and 22 were wounded in the blast. To date, no terrorist organisation has accepted responsibility for the attack,” Daily Dawn quoted him as saying.

The official recalled that the police had traced the suspect within 16 hours of the incident. “And within 24 hours we arrested three terrorists.

“The first character was Peter Paul David who was caught through [the details] of his vehicle. Sajjad Hussain, who was arrested alongside, was David’s assistant,” he said.

Ziaullah, Mehmood continued, was arrested on Peter’s identification and “we found out that he was the main culprit behind the attack”.

“Eid Gul and his wife were arrested after 5-6 days. Gul was the person who David gave the car to and he outfitted it with ammunition and bombs,” he said, adding that the video of the blast showed Gul coming out of the vehicle.

After Gul’s interrogation, the CTD was finally able to arrest Sami ul Haq, who Mehmood claimed was the main handler of the RAW-sponsored terror activities in Pakistan.

“Subsequently, we got Haq’s red warrants issued through Interpol. After that, purely on an intelligence and investigation basis, we were informed this person was entering Pakistan and we arrested him on April 22 along with his brother-in-law.”

The police official further revealed that Haq’s brother-in-law, identified as Uzair Akbar, assisted him in terror activities. “We also found out about 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 approached him and told him that he would pay his fine, but then, Naveed would have to engage in terror activities against Pakistan,” Mehmood said in the press conference.

He added that as soon as Naveed was arrested, several terror activities were thwarted. “When we arrested Sami ul Haq, Naveed was unaware of his arrest. Sami ul Haq told us that he was about to meet Naveed on May 10. We were then able to apprehend Naveed as well.”

As the investigation continued, Mehmood said, more RAW agents were uncovered.

“We also found out that close to a million dollars of terror financing was done through India to spread terrorism in Pakistan through different channels,” he revealed, adding that all the arrested persons have been sentenced to death three times by the court.