LAHORE, April 2: The recent operation against suspected members of Al-Qaeda was based on a credible information from intelligence agencies and the Punjab police.

Governor Khalid Maqbool told newsmen here on Tuesday at the Alhamra after inaugurating the 17th national exhibition arranged by the Artists Association of Punjab.

All the arrested suspects were being interrogated to establish if members of the Al-Qaeda were trying to regroup in the Punjab, and if so, what measures could be taken to preempt the possibility, he said.

Talking about the presence of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) people during the raids and whether it diluted sovereignty of Pakistan, the governor claimed that traditional concept of the term had changed; humanity was dealing with problems that transcend national boundaries. In this inter-dependent world, information has to be shared about problems that were of international nature. Terrorism was one such problem. Sharing information about it and acting jointly to check it did not, in any way, affect national sovereignty, Mr Maqbool added.

About the proposed referendum and the role of district Nazim in it, he said the district governments were free to support or oppose it as every other institutions of the country. There was no pressure on them from the government in this regard.

Appreciating the standard of over 400 paintings put on display in the exhibition, Governor Maqbool said it was a proof of talent and rich culture in the country. The Pakistani art has come of age, and the Punjab government was committed to strengthening the trend.