November 12, 2003	Wednesday	Ramazan 16, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 11: Islamabad is providing technical assistance to Riyadh in connection with tracking down Al Qaeda suspects reportedly involved in recent spate of terrorism in Saudi Arabia, interior minister Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat told Dawn on Tuesday.

The minister said he would visit Saudi Arabia next week for Umrah and would meet his Saudi counterpart and other officials to extend cooperation and coordination between the two countries.

Referring to the involvement of Al Qaeda in terrorism in Saudi Arabia, he said: “We have evidence that (members of) Al Qaeda’s terrorist ... network in Afghanistan (are) involved in recent spate of bomb blasts in Saudi Arabia.”

The minister said Pakistan will provide broader assistance if demanded by Saudi government in future.

Meanwhile, talking to journalists at an Iftar function, the minister, while blaming the opposition for indulging in what he termed negative politics, said: “The government will not create any hurdle to deprive the opposition of its democratic right to protest,” he said, adding: “But not a single person will support the opposition’s call if at all it decides to give it,” he said.

Talking about PML-N’s acting president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, he said Mr Hashmi was arrested in a criminal case as he produced a “fabricated and concocted” letter before the press.

Islamabad police, he said, was investigating the case and anyone else found to be involved in the offence would have to face the law. Talking about Maulana Azam Tariq’s assassination case, he said police was conducting raids to apprehend two persons nominated in the FIR.