Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Monday said that there was the possibility of linkage between the Lal Masjid, Jamia Hafsa incident and the suicide bombings in Sawat and Dera Ismail Khan but the real position would come on surface after the investigation.
In a telephonic interview to PTV, the minister said that there were reports about the presence of some people belonging to Lal Masjid in Shadi Khan area of the South Waziristan and some specifics indicate their linkage with the DI Khan incident.
Besides the timing of the suicide bombings indicate their linkage with the seminaries incident, the minister said adding however, it would be premature to pinpoint the direction of investigation at this stage. He said that few days back some arms and explosives were discovered by the D.I. Khan police and three people were arrested in this action while another managed to escape.
The consignment was being shifted to Punjab from South Waziristan by the miscreants while it was intercepted by the D.I. Khan police, the Minister said. He said that since D.I. Khan was situated close to South Waziristan, the suicide attack might have linkage with that situation.
The Minister regretted that a number of innocent lives had been lost during the past two days in the suicide attacks but the leaders of religious parties were showing a mum. They should have come forward to condemn the moves and educate their followers that suicide bombing was an Un-Islamic act, the Minister said.