July 7, 2003	Monday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 6,1424

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ISLAMABAD, July 6: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali termed the Quetta incident on Sunday an “act of terrorism”, and said the possibility of a foreign hand being behind the attack could not be ruled out.

He told reporters after a visit to Quetta that “we cannot overlook the opening of Indian consulates in Kandahar, Herat and Zahidan.”

The prime minister held a two-hour meeting with President Gen Pervez Musharraf and discussed with him the Quetta killings.

Mr Jamali said the attack was pre-planned, and there was every possibility of a foreign hand being behind it.

He said he himself monitored the situation for three days. Inquiries at the highest level were in progress, and the situation was assessed at a meeting attended by the provincial governor, chief minister, interior minister and the corps commander.

He said the government would uncover those behind this heinous crime.

He told a questioner that the possibility of an attempt at sabotaging the development process initiated by the government in Balochistan could not be ruled out.

He said it might also be aimed at torpedoing the successful four-nation trip by President Pervez Musharraf.

In reply to another question, the prime minister said that the fallout of opening of Indian consulates in Kandahar, Herat and Zahidan would be fully investigated.

He said he had issued instructions for adopting full security measures to prevent a repeat of such an incident.

MEETING: President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali on Sunday held a two-hour meeting, and discussed the strategy to check the “scourge of terrorism.”

An official announcement said the president and the PM expressed their outrage over the recent act of terrorism in Quetta, and expressed the resolve that such heinous crimes would not be allowed to go unpunished. All available means would be used to bring the perpetrators to book, it added.

The president and premier reiterated their firm commitment to rid the country of the scourge of terrorism. “They were of the view that terrorists have no religion,” the official handout said.

They said that terrorists would not be allowed to destabilize the country and demoralize the countrymen.

“They called upon the people to maintain unity and not be swayed by emotions. They also underlined the need of keeping a vigil on the elements who fan sectarianism.”

The PM apprised the president of the step his government was taking to preclude the possibility of such incidents in the future. He also briefed the president on the progress made with regard to the probe into the Quetta incident.

Reuters adds: Police has detained 19 suspects in connection with the Quetta massacre.