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RAWALPINDI, Dec 15: Several labourers, working on Askari villas project, and a prayer leader of a mosque from a neighbouring colony were taken into custody for questioning in connection with Sunday’s blast, a source told Dawn.
The joint investigation team also recorded the statements of the police officials performing security duty on the VVIP route, the source said.
He said SP Security Branch Zubair Nawaz Chattha, responsible for deploying police force for VVIP movement, was on leave on Sunday. An inspector was performing duty on his behalf.
He said about two hours after the blast, SP Investigation Mian Akhtar Hayat was given the president’s security programme.
Meanwhile, sources said the high-intensity bomb, which damaged the Leh bridge during presidential movement, contained more than 60kg of explosive material.
The explosive device, believed to be remote-controlled, was fixed at two different points beneath the bridge.
A team of army bomb disposal experts visited the scene of the blast and collected pieces of the device.
An FIR about the incident was registered with the Civil Lines police on the complaint of DSP Security Sultan Mehmood on Monday, the sources said.
Meanwhile, President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s route for Islamabad was changed on Monday, and the president’s convoy passed through Murree Road instead of Islamabad highway.
Security personnel were deployed along Rawal Road, Peshawar Road and Islamabad highway, but, the president’s convoy passed through Murree Road at about 10:30am.
In a related development, Inspector General Punjab Police Masood Shah held a meeting at the DIG office and reviewed security arrangements and progress made in the case.
BAQIR SAJJAD SYED ADDS: Investigations into the blast incident in which President Musharraf’s convoy narrowly escaped on Sunday night, are moving in a positive direction, Punjab minister for law and parliamentary affairs Raja Basharat said on Monday.
He was talking to Dawn after a meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, which reviewed the progress into the investigations.
Mr Basharat said several teams were working on it and hopefully “we will be shortly getting some important clues”.
To a question, he said it would be premature to say whether it was the work of Al-Qaeda elements, country’s indigenous extremists or RAW. We are looking into it from all possible angles, he added.
Asked if any action was being taken against officials looking after the security arrangements, the minister said the decision in this regard had been deferred for the time being.
“Actually, the officials are working with the investigation teams and we did not want to disrupt the whole process at this stage,” Mr Basharat said and added that any action, if required, would be taken after the receipt of the inquiry report.
He said the meeting further decided to ask the police and special branch department throughout the province regarding their requirements for beefing up security for the VVIPs.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the chief minister after the meeting quoted Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has having directed the quarters concerned to identify the officers responsible for such a big lapse in the president’s security.
He said the chief minister specifically stressed on making foolproof arrangements for the president’s security in future.
Mr Elahi, he said, ordered strengthening of intelligence gathering, security and investigation apparatus of the police department so that such incidents could be avoided in future.
The chief minister, the spokesman said, sought public support in checking the incidents of terrorism.
Mr Elahi was quoted as having said: “The people should cooperate with the government agencies and keep an eye on the activities of anti-state elements for foiling the nefarious designs of the terrorists.”
A source at the meeting said the meeting remained inconclusive because several agencies were independently looking into the matter. Therefore, he said, it was decided that another meeting would be held on Tuesday, which would also be presided over by the chief minister.
