LAHORE: Terrorists of Lashkar-e-Jhanghvi, arrested recently from various cities, revealed during interrogation that they had plans to attack Shia processions in Muharram, security officials on Friday told Pakistan Today.
The officials said that this Muharram would be the biggest challenge for the law-enforcing agencies across the country as it appeared that Punjabi Taliban led by Lashkar-e-Jhanghvi had set to inflict maximum damage to Shia community, during Muharram. The Interior Ministry had announced, two days before Muharram, that it had devised a comprehensive strategy to counter the threats of terrorism.
Analysts of war against terror are warning long before that this Muharram might be a bloody one than the previous ones and found the tracings of their belief in the latest arrests of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi operatives in Karachi, Lahore, Bahawalpur and other parts of the country. Almost all nabbed terrorists admitted during investigations that they were all set to attack on Shia processions in Muharram, though Punjab Assembly, Sind Assembly, Pakistan Oil Refinery, American Counslats, Marriot Hotel, Karachi Port Trust and Central Investigation Department centers were also on their hit list.
The government’s writ in most parts of the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa is restored and Taliban and their allies are on the run or at least restricted to certain areas and their safe havens are shrinking, which is a good news but it might have serious repercussions for peace in Punjab as militants, facing odds, can hit back in urban areas of the country.