Targeted Operation Ordered After Pakistanˈs Quetta Attack

Islamabad, Feb, 20, IRNA – Pakistani Prime Minister, Raja Pervez Ashraf, has ordered an immediate operation against suspected terrorists three days after a huge bomb attack killed 87 people in the southwestern city of Quetta, official said Tuesday. The Saturday’s blast in a crowded marketplace and targeting Shiite Muslims had also injured nearly 200 people that prompted countrywide protest and the relatives have refused to bury the dead unless the perpetrators are arrested. The outlawed extremist group ‘Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’ had claimed responsibility for the attack. The outfit, which is linked to the Taliban, routinely claims responsibility for attacks on Shiite Muslims. The Hazara Shia community is calling for the hand over of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, to the army. In order to try to end protest of the Shiites in Quetta, the Prime Minister order operation to apprehend the culprits. A Spokesman of PMˈs House said the Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has ordered an immediate launch of targeted operation aimed at eliminating those responsible for playing with lives of innocent civilians and restoring peace and security in Quetta. The Spokesman further said that Prime Minister is closely monitoring the situation in Quetta and is in constant touch with concerned authorities, a statement from the PM office said. Officials said that the security forces conducted early Tuesday operation in parts of Quetta and killed four suspects in exchange of fire. The exchange took place during a search operation, they said. A number of suspects were also arrested and weapons recovered during the operation. Meanwhile Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who had taken note of the attack, remarked on Tuesday that an operation cleanup should have been conducted against the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). The chief justice said that it is not understandable how the incident took place in the presence of the Frontier Corps. The chief justice maintained that the intelligence agencies have failed in providing security information. He further questioned why LeJ members have not been arrested yet./end