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KARACHI, Oct 30: Investigators probing the October 18 Karsaz bombings are eyeing as possible masterminds a group that is reportedly comprised of an amalgam of banned militant outfits fuelled by the desire to target American interests in Pakistan, Dawn has learnt. On the condition of anonymity, a security officer told Dawn that suspicion has fallen on the Matiur Rehman group, comprised predominantly of the Lashkar-i-Jhangavi and remnants of the Sipah-i-Sahaba who teamed up to orchestrate the Karsaz carnage.
“For sure, this was not the work of a single outfit but a combination of different proscribed outfits,” observed a senior investigator referring to the twin blasts that killed over 140 people.
According to well-placed police and intelligence sources, American investigators stationed inside Pakistan have described Matiur Rehman as an emerging ‘Al-Qaeda figure’ and a Rs10 million reward is being offered for his capture by Pakistani authorities.
Baitullah Mehsud, one of Pakistan’s most wanted men, has distanced himself from the attacks on the Pakistan People’s Party’s rally.
Matiur Rehman, who belongs to Pakistan, reportedly helped train thousands of Pakistani militants at Al-Qaeda training camps during the late 1990s.
Following the arrest of transatlantic attack ringleader Rashid Rauf in Bahawalpur, it was believed that Matiur Rehman was in league with him. On August 18 last year, Rehman was also reported to have been taken into custody in Bahawalpur but the arrest could not subsequently be verified.
Common patterns
Investigation agencies believe that the extremist outfits that came together under Rehman’s banner wanted to target the PPP chairperson, Benazir Bhutto, while she remained a ‘soft target’ since if she is elected, breaching her security would be an increasingly uphill task.
Well-placed sources told Dawn that the logistical support for the Karsaz bombings came from South Waziristan while the suicide bombers were believed to have been locals.
The Sindh police website states: “Earlier it was reported that a letter had been sent to the provincial Home Department and the police, saying that suicide bombers from Waziristan had arrived in Karachi to carry out suicide bombings on the rally of Benazir Bhutto on October 18.”
Officials told Dawn that a common pattern was discernable between the Karsaz bombings and the Islamabad suicide bombing near the PPP reception camp set up when Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry was due to address the gathering. Twelve people were killed in that blast and officials pointed out that following the incident, a controversy developed over whether it had been a suicide attack or explosives had been planted in the camp.
Sources added that investigations into the March 2, 2006, suicide car bombings in Karachi and the 2003 Rawalpindi attack on General Pervez Musharraf also implied Matiur Rehman’s involvement.
