GHQ attack a ‘wake up call’ from Pak’s Punjab terror network

October 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The audacious terror strike on the Pakistan Army's General Headquarters in Rawalpindi has once again raised concerns about the safety of nuclear establishments in that country, and experts believe that it may be only a matter of time when terrorists could target nuke installations with the same tactics and intensity. A professor at Britain's Bradford University and an expert on Pakistan's nuclear weapons, Shaun Gregory, said though severely bruised in its own back yard, the Pakistan Army is the only determining factor that stands between the nuclear weapons and terrorist organizations such as the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

October 11th, 2009 LAHORE - An intelligence report of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has revealed that the Punjab Police had warned concerned authorities on July 15 that terrorists might launch an attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. According to sources, CID (Punjab) had forwarded a report regarding the impeding threat to the Punjab Home Department and other law enforcement agencies.

October 1st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - France has expressed concerns over Pakistan's anti-terror efforts, saying all the western countries are skeptical regarding Islamabad's actions. Chairman of the French Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Armed Forces, Josselin de Rohan said the presence of Al-Qaeda's top leadership in Pakistan undermines its efforts against the terror groups based on its soil.

August 27th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that India should not 'misinterpret' Islamabad's intentions regarding the Mumbai terror attack probe. In an interview with a private television channel, Qureshi said Pakistan is analyzing the dossier handed over to it by New Delhi and would comment on it only after examining it thoroughly.

August 17th, 2009 LAHORE - The Christian community in Pakistan's Punjab Province has asked the government to provide security for an annual Christian congregation at Maryamabad, in Sheikhupura district, following threats of terror attacks from unidentified persons. According to the Daily Times, Christians said they had received threatening phone calls from unidentified persons, who warned of attacking the congregation and "reducing it to a pile of ashes in a manner similar to the Gojra attacks".

August 17th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - US President Barack Obama's Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, has said that Washington is appreciative of Islamabad's efforts to normalise ties with New Delhi, especially in the wake of the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai. According to The News, Holbrooke is said to have conveyed this message to former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief, Nawaz Sharif, during their meeting here on Sunday.

July 23rd, 2009 PHUKET - Without naming Pakistan, India's Minister for External Affairs S.M. Krishna Thursday drew the attention of Asian countries to "India's terror-infested neighbourhood" and called for quicker intelligence sharing and effective cooperation to combat the network of terrorists in the region.

July 17th, 2009 DHAKA - A top operative of a Indian terror group -Asif Reza Commando Force - has been arrested for trying to expand his network in Dhaka. "We have arrested ARCF operator Sheikh Obaidullah, who, according to our information, is wanted by the Indian authorities," Deputy Police Commissioner of Detective Branch Monirul Islam said.

June 19th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - While terror strikes across Pakistan continues unabated, authorities have not spared a single opportunity to blame India for creating havoc inside Pakistan, but an editorial carried out in Pakistan's leading daily highlights the fact that Islamabad must introspect on its own deeds before putting the blame on its neighbour. Recently, Lahore police nabbed one Zubair alias Naik Muhammad, allegedly involved in the terrorist attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team.

June 16th, 2009 LAHORE - The Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah has claimed that terrorists had targeted the Lahore office of the Inter-Services Intelligence in the May 27 bomb and suicide attack. He was speaking during the Punjab Assembly's 13th session.

June 2nd, 2009 LAHORE - Jamat ud Dawa chief Hafeez Saeed today said that the lone surviving terrorist captured after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks has no connection with his outfit. Addressing a press conference after being released from the house arrest, Saeed said, "Ajmal Kasab has no connection with the JuD.

May 31st, 2009 LAHORE - The deteriorating law and order situation and the expanding writ of extremists in Pakistan, and especially in Punjab can be gauged from the fact that at least 486 people including army, navy and police officials, have lost their lives in suicide attacks in the province since 2007. Besides that about 1,573 people have been injured in terror strikes since 2007 to till date, The News reports.

May 28th, 2009 LAHORE - After every brazen terror strike in Pakistan, two claims are almost certain to follow. First, that the intelligence agencies had prior information about the attack, and second, involvement of 'foreign hand' namely India.

May 28th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - A relatively unheard of terror group, the 'Tehrik-i-Taliban Punjab' has claimed responsibility for Wednesday's Lahore suicide attack in which over 30 persons, including 12 security officials were killed. According to the Dawn, the claim was made in Turkish-language and was posted on Turkish militant websites through an organization called the Elif Media.

March 12th, 2009 KARACHI - Cricket starved Pakistan is also likely to be snubbed by the sponsors after last week's terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has expressed fears that major sponsors might backtrack from their deals with the board in the wake of the Lahore terror attack.