Minors being used in terrorist attacks in Pakistan, Senate told

ISLAMABAD: As the country was recovering from the recent terrorist activities that have killed dozens of people, Minister of State for Interior Baligh-ur-Rehman on Friday revealed that minor boys were being used during the terrorist activities in Pakistan.

Speaking during an in-camera briefing in Senate, he said that the law enforcers had taken custody of few boys aged between 10 to 12 in Lahore, adding that later during the interrogation it was revealed that they had planned an attack on a school in the city.

Rehman said that three 15-year-old boys —affiliated with a banned outfit— were also arrested in Peshawar.

He said that a threat alert was issued later which, according to him, prevented many terrorist attacks.

Minister of State for Interior told Senate that the Lahore suicide attack —in which at least 14 people were killed— was claimed by Jamatul Ahrar while the TTP said it carried out the Peshawar bombing.

He disclosed that the facilitator of these incidents is a man named Qamber Khail Afridi who is residing in Afghanistan, adding that the terrorists were being prepared about six kilemetres away from Torkham border.

He further said that the government was investigating Daesh’s claim on the Sehwan blast.

The bombings over five days have hit all four of Pakistan’s provinces and two major cities, killing around 100 people and shaking a nascent sense that the worst of the country’s militant violence may be in the past.

The shrine attack has heightened tensions with Afghanistan, after Pakistani officials said some militant leaders took shelter over the border.

In a telephone call with Afghanistan´s national security adviser, Sartaj Aziz expressed concern that JuA was operating from Afghanistan and that Kabul had failed to act against them, according to a statement from his office.

On Friday, border crossings were closed and Afghan diplomats were summoned to military headquarters in Islamabad and given a list of 76 most-wanted terrorists that Pakistan demanded be captured and handed over, the army said.