ISLAMABAD, Dec 19: Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao has said that controlling suicide bombing has become a challenge for security agencies.

“The suicide bombing is new in Pakistan and specifically in Pakhtun culture. We are trying to eliminate the root cause of suicide attacks,” the minister said while talking to Dawn on Tuesday.

He said one of the worst suicide bombing incidents had taken place in a military training camp in Dargai last month that left 40 newly recruited army personnel, adding that security agencies had some ‘positive leads’ and made some arrests.

Interrogation of the arrested people could further lead to some additional information and arrests of more suspects, he said.The minister did not mention the group involved in Dargai incident saying it had been operating from both sides of Pakistan- Afghanistan border.

The group, he said, had linkages with Bajaur seminary that was attacked on Oct 30 by security forces killing its 82 students.

The minister said that suicide bombing had made things difficult and even countries like the United States and Israel had failed to control it. “If a person is prepared to sacrifice his life nobody can stop him,” he added.

Mr Sherpao said the current trend of suicide bombing started from Iraq and then it spread to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The minister said that terrorism could be controlled by force but not extremism. “Not only in Pakistan but also in the whole world, extremism is a bigger challenge than terrorism,” he added.

He said the federal government had taken several measures, including Madressah reforms, ban on publishing, selling and distributing hate literature, and misuse of loudspeakers, to change the mindset of the youth and students of seminaries.

Mr Sherpao said that improved economic situation in the tribal areas and employment opportunities for seminary graduates could help control extremism.

The interior minister said that at present five Pakistani prisoners were detained in Gauntanamo Bay (Cuba) and 14 in Bagram (Afghanistan). “We have negotiated with the US authorities for their early release and received positive response,” the minister claimed.

Asked if the US authorities have agreed to release Saifullah Paracha, the alleged financier of Al Qaeda, the minister said the matter had been taken up with the Americans but first the accused would be tried in the US.