Pakistan's top envoy escaped a mine blast which killed seven people in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo on Monday as Tamil Tiger rebels accused Sri Lanka of bombing an orphanage and killing 61 children.
In the capital, the unprecedented mine attack on the Pakistan diplomat came as troops and Tigers fought fierce battles in the northern peninsula of Jaffna where military losses since Friday rose to 145 soldiers killed, officials said.
Ambassador Bashir Wali Mohmand, a retired Pakistan intelligence officer, narrowly escaped the Colombo bombing although his car took shrapnel from the mine mounted on a parked three-wheeler taxi, police said. "The ambassador is safe. He is unhurt," said Pakistan high commission (embassy) spokeswoman Suriya Jamal.
A visibly shaken Wali Mohmand appeared on Sri Lankan national television. "We have always supported Sri Lanka's territorial integrity and sovereignty and will continue to do so," the ambassador said.
Four Sri Lankan army commandos guarding the diplomat were killed instantly as their white Land Rover Defender took the full force of the blast. Three bystanders also died, police and hospital officials said.
The authorities stepped up security for the ambassador with commandos sealing off the main access to his private residence in Colombo's Cinnamon Gardens.
In Islamabad, the Pakistan government strongly condemned the attack.
"We strongly condemn it. We also regret the loss of precious lives," foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said. "The attack was on our high commissioner who is safe but his car is damaged." "We condemn this terrorist attack in the strongest possible terms," Sri Lankan Media Minister Anura Yapa said. "The terrorists are getting desperate." He blamed the attack on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which has been held responsible for a string of bomb attacks in the country.
"Tigers have targeted him because of the increased defence co-operation between the two countries," government defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters here.
He said there had been newspaper reports that Pakistan was arranging military supplies that could strengthen the Sri Lankan government's fighting capabilities.
"I can't say whether the arms list published by the newspapers was true or not, but it was obviously enough to make the Tigers desperate," Rambukwella said.
Sri Lanka turned to Pakistan to buy weapons after India turned down a request recently, official sources said, adding that the shopping list was worth about 150 million dollars.
Sri Lanka had wanted to buy a fleet of battle tanks and heavy guns as well as air defence systems to meet a growing threat from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
"He (Wali Mohmand) had clearly emerged a target because of news reports that Pakistan was arranging a multi-million dollar arms deal to supply a long list of items to Sri Lanka," former Sri Lankan diplomat and defence analyst Nanda Godage said. "He was very concerned about his security and he did not feel safe to be at his official residence."
Godage said he believed that the assassination attempt could actually strengthen bilateral military ties between Sri Lanka and Pakistan despite India taking a dim view of any close contacts between Colombo and Islamabad.
Official sources said New Delhi had been unhappy with Wali Mohmand's appointment because of his intelligence background, but had stopped short of lodging a formal protest.
"The government of India has all along strongly condemned all incidents of terrorist violence and this incident is no exception," Indian foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters here. "We deplore the targeting of a diplomatic convoy by terrorist elements and we hope such ... attacks will not be repeated," Sarna added.