International

Fresh Pak. crackdown on militant outfits

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD JUNE 25. In yet another crackdown on the activists of banned militant outfits in the Punjab province in the last 48 hours, Pakistan authorities are believed to have rounded up over 100 persons. It is not immediately clear if the latest detentions are related to Afghanistan or Kashmir or sectarian operations within Pakistan. Indications are that those detained have been picked up on suspicion of links with the Al-Qaeda. The operations jointly undertaken by the Punjab and Sindh police have reportedly been conducted under the supervision of the American Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Pakistan Government had arrested over 2,000 activists of the five-banned jehadi and sectarian outfits after the much-publicised January 12 speech of the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf. The campaign, however, ran into rough weather as the authorities failed to collect necessary evidence against the detained persons and, in some cases, courts intervened to order their release. Of the 2,000 held, nearly 50 per cent are believed to have been released for lack of evidence. Consequently the Indian Government had accused the Musharraf regime of being "half-hearted" in its approach towards curbing the fundamentalist forces.

It is difficult to say at this juncture whether the latest round of detentions is a follow-up to the assurances given by Gen. Musharraf to the U.S. Government to put a "permanent end" to infiltration across the Indian border or whether they are a reflection of its concern over apprehensions of "re-grouping" of the Al-Qaeda.

Local media reports said 52 men, a majority of them belonging to the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and the Sipah-i-Sehaba Pakistan were arrested in at least 64 raids in Lahore alone. In the last few days, the local media has carried reports quoting sources in the intelligence agencies that the outfits were out to create trouble. A report in the English daily, Dawn, said in Lahore, that the elite police patrols were seen running on the roads from Sunday night to early Monday morning.

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