About 150 lawmakers have received anonymous threatening messages, asking them to resign from their seats, otherwise they would be killed, Interior Affairs Minister Rehman Malik said.
These messages were sent through short message service (SMS) to the lawmakers which included senators and members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and some members of provincial assemblies (MPAs), the minister told reporters after attending a ceremony held in connection with the Sindh Cultural Day on Saturday.
“With the help of Cyber Crime Wing, two people have been arrested in this regard from Larkana,” Rehman said, adding that preliminary investigation revealed that the unidentified culprits misused national identity cards of these detained persons.
“It is strange that how the culprits managed to get the contact numbers of VIPs,” he said. The minister also said that the matter was being probed thoroughly and the Cyber Crime Wing would soon indentify people involved in sending the messages for due legal action.
Rehman also said that Ambassador Hussain Haqqani had been summoned to Islamabad to explain the issue and the matter would be open for investigation if required. Regarding issuance of red arrest warrant in Benazir Bhutto assassination and Akbar Bugti killing cases, the Interior minister said concerned quarters have been directed to interact with the Interpol – an international police agency – in this regard.
He said that investigation is continuing in assassination case of Benazir Bhutto. The government was implementing and pursuing all court verdicts and directives in letter and spirit, he said. To another question with regard to sending a judicial commission to India for probing the Mumbai attack, he said almost all the legal formalities have been completed in this regard and Pakistan was waiting for Indian reply to identify the place for holding proceedings of the judicial commission.
“The commission will be sent to India within a week after receiving the awaited letter,” he added.
If these text messages have been sent, it is a very grave matter. There are certain elements who are doing their utmost to prevent Senate elections in March 2012. This may well have links with the Memo scandal going on. I am afraid a co-ordinated effort is going on.
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