Rehman Malik claims providing intelligence about Karachi blasts

Interior Minister asks IG Sindh, home secretary why no steps were taken despite being provided intelligence.

KARACHI: Interior Minister Rehman Malik claimed on Monday that he had provided intelligence about a possible terrorist attack in Karachi in Shia-dominated areas, similar to the one in Quetta.

Malik, speaking to the media, asked the IG Sindh and the home secretary why security wasn’t kept adequate despite being provided information. “Security was only kept strict for four days.”

He lashed out against the Punjab government and said that all headquarters of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) were in Punjab and there was no Shia-Sunni conflict in Karachi.

“This is an open question for the Punjab government: How many of them [LeJ members] did you arrest? How many of their offices were closed in Jhang and Multan? What happened to their madrassa in Rahim Yar Khan?”

Malik said that there were 34 FIRs against LeJ leader Malik Ishaq and he will release them all later during the day. “Thirty men of LeJ were caught red-handed in Karachi.”

He also claimed of breaking the Taliban’s back. “They [Taliban] are at the point that they are seeking reconciliation and dialogue. It is the Punjab Taliban, also known as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, who did it [bombings] in Quetta and now in Karachi.”

A powerful blast ripped though Abbas Town in Karachi on Sunday evening, leaving 48 people dead and over 150 injured. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast yet.