Anti-Pakistan agency involved in Lahore blast: Buzdar

LAHORE – Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has said that “anti-state agencies” are involved in the Lahore blast.

“Terrorists responsible for the Johar Town bomb blast in Lahore have been arrested. An anti-Pakistan agency is involved in the bomb blast,” said the chief minister while addressing a press conference on Monday.

Buzdar said that the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab had traced the culprits behind the incident within 16 hours of the blast.

The chief minister heaped praise on CTD Punjab for pursuing the case in a professional manner to expose those who were behind the attack.

Terming it a “great achievement” for the Punjab government, the chief minister said that all those involved in the incident had been arrested. Buzdar said those who had sold, bought the car and planted explosives it in, had all been arrested.

Buzdar said that after a thorough investigation and sufficient evidence obtained, the authorities had concluded that an “anti-state agency is directly involved in the terrorist incident and had provided financial support” to elements behind the Johar Town blast.

“I want to inform you that the Punjab government has traced all high-profile cases in the province and arrested their suspects,” he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Punjab IG Inam Ghani said that around 10 Pakistanis are involved in the Lahore Johar Town blast and a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was made to probe the blast perpetrators.

“Terrorist wanted to target was a police picket,” Punjab’s top cop said.

“We have traced the local and international characters and traced the whole network within hours,” he said.

Inam Ghani said that authorities traced the accused through the car number that was used in the blast. “The persons who sold the car and mechanic who repaired the car are under arrest now,” he added.