Govt has proof of Khwajas’ link with Al Qaeda: Faisal
By Faraz Hashmi
ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayyat on Saturday said the government had concrete evidence of Dr Ahmed Javed Khawaja’s links with Al Qaeda.
Besides over 100,000 dollars, some women of Arab origin and certain other irrefutable proofs of Khawaja family’s links with Al Qaeda have been recovered from their house in Lahore, the interior minister told reporters here on Saturday.
He refuted reports that the FBI agents were also involved in the raid on the residence of Dr Khawaja. He said the Pakistani agencies were competent enough to track down terrorists and criminals.
He dispelled the impression that the raid had been conducted without the knowledge of the newly-installed civilian government.
Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Illahi had stated on record that he had no prior knowledge of the raid conducted in the provincial capital.
He did not offer any comment on the statements of Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Illahi and Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in which they had criticised the involvement of FIB officials in the raid.
“Perhaps they had given the statements because they were visiting Mansoora to see Jamaat’s chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed on that day,” he remarked in a lighter vein.
The interior minister said the names of the sitting MNAs had been deleted from the exit control list.
He said the names of 18 or 19 sitting MNAs were on the list at the time the government was formed, which had been removed.
He scoffed at reports that the National Accountability Bureau had retained his name in the exit control list. The NAB had nothing to do with the exit control list, he added.
Regarding the cases against the newly-appointed governor of Sindh, Ishrat-ul-Ibad, he said the interior ministry had no case pending against him.
