ISLAMABAD, March 29: Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said on Wednesday that the US Consulate in Peshawar had not received any threat and it was closed down for ‘other reasons’.
Talking to reporters at the groundbreaking ceremony for Lehtrar Road, he said the bomb blast in Peshawar on Tuesday had no link with the closure of the consulate.
“We already had information that some terrorist act would be committed in Peshawar and therefore all possible security measures had been taken,” he pointed out.
However, he said, some terrorists had managed to plant a one-and-a-half kilogramme bomb in a motorcycle which went off killing one person and injuring 18 others. Sometimes, he added, it was difficult for law-enforcement personnel to check each and every motorbike.
Mr Sherpao revealed that a lawyer, Latif Afridi, had reported to police that the bomb attack had been made against him by his enemies. However, he said, the blast was a terrorist act and not a criminal activity.
In reply to a question, he said that best possible security was being provided to American nationals in Pakistan.
