Interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti on Saturday alleged that the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India\u2019s foreign intelligence agency, was involved in the recent terror attacks in Balochistan.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the media in Quetta, he claimed: \u201cThose playing the role of a facilitator, whoever is doing this \u2014 be it anyone, whatever you may call it \u2014 they all are the same for us, all have the same origins, all are being handled from one place, RAW is behind all them.\u201d<\/p>\n
The minister added, \u201cAll incidents that took place before this\u2026 they all were unearthed \u2014 all major incidents that occurred in Balochistan \u2014 and the RAW\u2019s involvement has been there behind all those, and the forces that want to destabilise Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n
He did not provide any proof or evidence to back his statements.<\/p>\n
Bugti\u2019s remarks come a day after a grisly suicide blast targeting a 12th Rabiul Awwal procession in Balochistan\u2019s Mastung claimed the lives of 55 people, including a police officer.<\/p>\n
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. However, the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks in Pakistan, denied its involvement.<\/p>\n
The caretaker government of Balochistan announced three days of mourning in the wake of the attack.<\/p>\n
A second bomb attack took place yesterday in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa\u2019s Hangu, which targeted a police station\u2019s mosque in the city. Five people were killed, and 12 were injured as the mosque\u2019s roof collapsed in the explosion\u2019s impact.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the media today, Bugti vowed to pursue terrorists to their \u201cdens\u201d and that the policy of appeasement would not \u201chappen anymore\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we know is that these appeasement policies adhered to \u2014 what we saw in the past two to three years \u2014 there is no tolerance for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that the state knew where the terrorists were operating from and asserted, \u201cWe will go to their dens, where they are nurtured and which are their safe havens, and we will go against them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Noting that at times an attack would be conducted by one organisation and another would claim its responsibility, the interior minister said the recent attacks were being investigated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether it is Daesh or TTP or anyone else\u2026 anyone committing violence under any banner\u2026 violence will only be exercised by the state,\u201d Bugti said while vowing to hunt terrorists.<\/p>\n
Recalling an attack earlier this month that left Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Hafiz Hamdullah injured, the minister stated that the mastermind of that attack was killed later.<\/p>\n
He also lamented past occurrences of the state switching to an \u201cappeasement policy\u201d when dealing with terrorist elements.<\/p>\n
He stated: \u201cI am honestly telling you that our issue is that we reach a certain level against terrorists \u2014 whether it is terrorism under the name of nationalism or religion \u2014 we reach a certain position of strength and then all of a sudden, our state switches to an appeasement policy and we reduce our [action].\u201d<\/p>\n
Responding to reporters\u2019 queries, he said the provincial Information Minister Jan Achakzai could tell in detail about the matter of \u201csuspending DCs (district commissioners) and SPs (superintendents of police)\u201d, and asserted that a \u201cthorough investigation\u201d will be conducted.<\/p>\n
The minister highlighted that yesterday\u2019s blast was the \u201cfirst ever in Balochistan regarding [the occasion of] 12th Rabiul Awwal\u201d and noted that in the past, the Hazara community and Muharram processions were targeted.<\/p>\n
Speaking about the matter of footballers abducted earlier this month from the Dera Bugti district, Bugti confirmed that four of them have returned.<\/p>\n
When asked by a reporter if they had been recovered or were released by the abductors, Bugti said, \u201cFour have come [back] and the remaining two will also be recovered, God-willingly.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti on Saturday alleged that the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India\u2019s foreign intelligence agency, was involved in the recent terror attacks in Balochistan. Speaking to the media in Quetta, he claimed: \u201cThose playing the role of a facilitator, whoever is doing this \u2014 be it anyone, whatever you may […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":359134,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-359130","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n