New Delhi: The interrogation of arrested terrorists has revealed that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence was promoting terror activities in India by providing shelter, patronage and funding to terrorists, parliament was told yesterday.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary told the Rajya Sabha that there was no attempt by the Pakistani Taliban to set up bases in India.
“A video was uploaded September 3, containing the speech of Sheik Eyam Al Zawahiri of Al Qaeda, in which he announced the establishment of a new wing of Al Qaeda, namely Al Qaeda in Indian subcontinent (AQIS),” Chaudhary said in a written reply.
Asim Umar and Usama Mehmood were appointed the ‘amir’ and ‘spokesperson’, respectively, of the AQIS, he said.
The minister said the government has raised the issue of Pakistan’s support to terror outfits during home, interior minister, secretary-level and foreign secretary-level talks, and handed over relevant material to the Pakistani authorities.
“As per available inputs, there is no attempt made by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan to set up bases in India,” he said.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan — Jamaatul Ahrar (TTP-JA) had claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on the Pakistani side of the Wagah border November 2.
“This terror organisation and its all other factions are considered to be hostile to Indian interests and believed to maintain links with the Al Qaeda and
Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS),” he said.
Metro Evacuation
People were evacuated from a Delhi Metro station and two markets in posh areas of Gurgaon yesterday afternoon after police received bomb threat calls, officials said. The threats, however, turned out to be hoaxes.
Train services were affected for over two-and-a-half hours — from around 3.30pm till 6pm — after a bomb threat at the HUDA City Centre station, police said.
The station was emptied after the police control room received a call from an unidentified man who said a bomb was planted in the station’s basement.
Commuters were not allowed to enter the station as police launched a search operation.
However, trains operated as usual from the IFFCO Chowk station towards Delhi.
Bomb threat calls also forced police to clear out people from the Vyapar Kendra in Sushant Lok area and Galleria Market in New Gurgaon.
Police commandos tried to find the bombs as claimed in the threats. The three-hour search operation by over 400 policemen revealed that the bomb scare was a hoax.
The man said in the 20-second phone call: “I have planted a high intensity bomb in a car parked in the basement of the HUDA City Centre station. I have also done so in two markets of New Gurgaon. ‘Bacha sako to bacha lo’ (Save if you can).”
IANS
