Outlawed Militants Tried to Kill Musharraf

Associated Press ^ | 12/31/03 | MUNIR AHMAD

[TexKat]

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - The suicide bombers who tried to kill Pakistan's leader last week belonged to an outlawed militant group fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, three intelligence officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The bombers were part of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a group that President Gen. Pervez Musharraf banned in 2002 as part of a drive to purge Pakistan of terrorism, said the officials, who are all intimately involved in the investigation and who spoke on condition of anonymity.

One of the attackers was from Pakistan's portion of Kashmir, a disputed Himalayan region that is divided between Pakistan and India. The identity of the other attacker has not been announced, although Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said he was a foreigner.

The interior minister previously said three suicide bombers were involved in the Dec. 25 attack, but officials now believe there were only two. The attack in Rawalpindi, a bustling city near the capital, Islamabad, killed 16 people and left dozens wounded. Musharraf was unhurt.

``We have confirmed that one suicide bomber was a member of Jaish-e-Mohammed,'' one of the intelligence officials said. The other man appeared to be an Afghan who was also involved in the group, and both men had undergone terrorist training in Afghanistan, he said.

Two days after the failed assassination attempt, authorities raided a home in Rawalkot, a district in Pakistan's portion of Kashmir, said Abdul Rauf Chaudhry, an Interior Ministry spokesman. Police arrested three men, all believed to be relatives of one of the bombers.

Chaudhry told the AP on Wednesday that authorities have detained dozens of suspects, but he would not comment on whether Jaish-e-Mohammed was involved in the attack.

``At this stage, we cannot say anything about it,'' he said.

A spokesman for Jaish-e-Mohammed, Sahrai Baba, denied any involvement Wednesday.

``We do not like Musharraf, but we did not try to kill him,'' he said by telephone.

In recent days, Musharraf has said he is ready to discuss all options with India to resolve the issue of Kashmir - a territory over which Pakistan and India have fought two out of their three wars after gaining independence from Britain in 1947.

The stance has been met with anger by Kashmiri militant groups, who see it as a betrayal of their cause.

Kashmir is divided between Pakistan and India by a cease-fire line. Jaish-e-Mohammed and nearly a dozen other groups have been fighting in Kashmir for independence or merger with mainly Muslim Pakistan. The insurgency in Kashmir has killed more than 65,000 people since 1989.

The Dec. 25 attack came 11 days after a similar, failed attempt to assassinate Musharraf - with a bomb against his convoy on the same road. The attacks raised questions about the Pakistani leader's safety.

``Definitely, the attackers had obtained information about the president's movement from somebody responsible for his security,'' said another intelligence official, who also confirmed the Jaish-e-Mohammed link.

Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, will seek a vote of confidence from Parliament on Thursday to remain in power as president for a period of five years. He is expected to win easily.

[TexKat]

NDTV Correspondent

Wednesday, December 31, 2003 (Islamabad):

The upper house of Pakistan's parliament, the senate, has voted for measures that give President Pervez Musharraf powers to dismiss governments.

The vote came after last week's deal between General Musharraf and Islamic parties. He agreed to step down as Army chief at the end of 2004 in return for the presidency till 2007 and an end to the yearlong boycott of Parliament.

The move has been passed by both Houses of parliament and still has to be ratified by the Supreme Court. However, the opposition has called the vote a political gimmick.

"It's a black day in Pakistan's history as parliament has circumvented its own powers. The prime minister, his cabinet and the parliament have given all their powers to a single individual," said Raza Rabbani, senior opposition leader.

President Musharraf faces a vote of confidence in parliament on January 1. But already the latest vote seems to legitimise all his actions since the 1999 military coup and consolidate his hold over the country.

[Naspino]

Why is it necessary to label a militant group as outlawed? How many lawful militant groups are there?

[AmericanInTokyo]

We may just need a joint US-Indian military strike force to go in there some day to seize the control of nukes from radical factionites who might get their hands on it through a coup or uprising. Maybe, just maybe.

[null and void]

Why is it necessary to label a militant group as outlawed? How many lawful militant groups are there?

Well, there's islam, for one...

[ConservativeMan55]

Love the new tagline your sporting!

You got it from my thread eh!

[null and void]

Yup!