LAHORE – After months-long lull, foreign sponsored terrorists hit the largest province of the country on Sunday in what appeared to be a revenge attack against the killings of three Arab fighters in recent US drone strikes in the north-west Pakistan.
With the onset of 2012, terrorists have launched deadly attacks across Pakistan though no terror attack took place in the Punjab province since May last. Security officials and intelligence sources said that it could be the work of a Taliban off-shoot with links to al Qaeda. However, no group claimed responsibility as yet.
Taliban terrorists have stepped up attacks targeting security forces, police offices, and religious gatherings in the country since the US drones killed three Arab fighters in North Waziristan last week.
It is reliably learnt that a specific off-shoot of Taliban operates in the Punjab province under the direct command of al Qaeda.
The terror attack, which happened amid political crisis in this insurgency-infested country, left at least 18 mourners dead and injured many others in the Khanpur Tehsil of the Southern Punjab. The victims were attending the traditional procession to mark Chehlum of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA).
The drone strikes took place following the cold blooded murder of 14 FC soldiers found slain in the militant-hit Khyber PK province.
The soldiers had been kidnapped by Taliban last year either for ransom or for swap with their top leaders already arrested by security forces. The killings uncovered the real face and wicked schemes of the Taliban. Sunday’s attack was followed by gun and bomb strike on the office of District Police Officer (DPO) in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber PK province by suicide bombers on Saturday, which left eight people killed including two policemen.
Though it was immediately not clear if the bomb at Khanpur was planted on the route of the procession, sources said, they had received intelligence reports indicating suicidal attacks on the religious processions. ‘They (Taliban) themselves have gone astray and are being supported by foreign masters to accomplish their agenda. Such attacks aim at demoralising security forces and creating a sense of insecurity among the masses’, sources said.
Sources further revealed that the terrorists are also employing schemes and wicked propaganda to attract the innocent people to join their ranks.
Security experts observed that the terrorists are motivating their ranks by projecting Pakistani security forces as their enemy allegedly for joining hands with US forces.
On the internet messages, Taliban make speeches using phrases and slogans and glorify their killed leaders by showing their bodies with Jehadi music (in Pushto) in the background.
The propaganda video clips being used by Taliban are totally forged based on malicious intentions. They have no respect for religion and Islam and use brutal acts of violence to meet the objectives of their foreign masters, experts added.
The Punjab province almost remained peaceful in 2011 with a few deadly attacks.
According to a brief timeline of major attacks, in Lahore a teenage bomber detonated his explosive vest after being challenged by police at the edge of the old City, killing at least 13 people. The police had been checking Shia marchers headed to a procession marking the end of the holy month of Muharram. On February 3, a bomb blast at Darbar Baba Haider Sayeen left three people dead and wounded 27 others. At least 41 people had been killed in multiple suicidal attacks at the shrine of Sakhi Sarwar in Dera Ghazi Khan on April 3, 2011.
March 8: A car bomb planted by terrorists exploded at a filling station in Faisalabad, killing at least 22 people and wounding 142 others. On May14, at least 6 people were killed and 10 wounded in a bomb blast in Kharian.