ISLAMABAD             -              Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan Tuesday said that the counterterrorism department’s investigation into last year year’s Johar Town blast in Lahore provided clear evidence that India and its intelligence agency – RAW – were directly involved in carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan. He said that the Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) had busted a terrorist cell involved in the powerful explosion and the investigation revealed that the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)’s operatives had facilitated and financed it to carry out the terrorist activity. “This case is such a reference that the incumbent government has decided to present it before the international community and place our stance before the world to expose the terrorist face of India,” interior minister said here while addressing a joint press conference along with Punjab CTD’s Additional Inspector General Imran Mehmood. He said that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the Foreign Office would take up the issue at international forums including at the United Nationals level. “On one hand, India promotes every kind of terrorism in Pakistan and on the other side, it every day tries to propagate against it in the international community.” He said that the real face of India will be exposed on the basis of these clear evidences. On June 23 last year, a powerful blast of 200 kg explosives planted in a car near the residence of banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed in Johar Town locality of Lahore had killed at least three people and 24 others were injured. Rana Sanaullah said that this was the second incident after arrest and confessional statement of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav which was a proof that India had been found involved behind any form of terrorism in Pakistan in one way or the other. Terming that the matter was related to Pakistan’s internal security, he further said that the nighbouring country was only doing this to justify and hide its atrocities being committed in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He said that Kulbhushan’s statement was enough to prove that India was involved behind any terrorist activity in Pakistan. CTD chief Mehmood giving details of the incident said the counterterrorism department had arrested the mastermind and facilitators of the blast which unveiled that they had direct links with RAW operatives. He said that mastermind Samiul Haq and his brother in law as well as assistant Uzair Akbar were arrested from Balochistan on April 24, 2022 after they got their red warrants issued through the Interpol. “Within 16 hours of the incident, we had traced the case and arrested three terrorists within 24 hours,” he said, adding that no terrorist organization has accepted responsibility for the attack till date. The two terrorists included Peter Paul David who supervised the blast while Sajjad Hussain was his assistant, he said. He added that Ziaullah, the third one, was arrested on Peter’s identification and was the brother of mastermind Samiul Haq. “Eid Gul and his wife Ayesha Gul were arrested after 5-6 days in connection with this case,” the police officer said. He further said that Gul was the person who fitted explosives in the vehicle while his wife assisted him and had shot some videos of the whole process. After Gul’s interrogation, the CTD was finally able to identify Samiul Haq who was involved in terror financing, the CTD chief said. He said that further probe revealed that Haq was an agent of RAW since 2012 and was the “main player” of Indian agency to carry out terrorist activities in Pakistan on its behalf. Mehmood informed reporters that another culprit behind the attack was Naveed Akhtar, who did the surveillance and selected the target. “Akhtar was an unskilled labourer and had been languishing in jail in a Middle East country due to non-payment of his fine.” The police officer said that a RAW agent approached Akhtar and told him that he would pay his fine, but he would have to work for them to carry out terror activities in Pakistan. The additional inspector general of police told the press conference that Akhtar was arrested in Lahore’s Shahdara Town and thus several terror attacks were thwarted as he was planning to carry out more terrorist activates. As the investigation continued, Mehmood said, more RAW agents were uncovered who were Indian nationals and their arrest warrants have also been issued by Interpol. He said that red warrants of main RAW operatives including Sanjay Kumar Tiwari, Waeeem Haider Khan, and Ajmal have been issued and the process of issuance of warrants of other “characters was under process. “We also found out that close to a million dollars of terror financing was done by India through RAW operatives and different channels to spread terrorism in Pakistan and linkages have been established” Mehmood claimed. CTD had clear evidence “which is undeniable about India and RAW’s involvement,” he said, adding that the matter could be taken to the UN. Responding to a question, the interior minister said that the blast took place near the residence of JuD chief and it could be ascertained that he was the prime target. He added that the terrorist driving the explosive-laden vehicle could not come close to his residence due to deployment of police. “The purpose of the terrorists was to create fear and panic,” he underlined. Rana Sanaullah also said that that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) had support from the RAW to carry out terrorist activities in Pakistan. Replying to a question, the CTD chief said that the terrorist cell had no link with other terrorist organisation except RAW. In June 2021, a powerful blast near the residence of Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed in Johar Town had killed three people and injured 24 others, including a police constable. Six-year-old Abdul Haq, his father Abdul Malik, 50, and a young passerby died in the explosion that left a four-footdeep and eight-foot-wide crater on the road and damaged several houses and shops nearby. Days after the incident, the then information minister Fawad Chaudhry and national security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf told a press conference that the mastermind of the attack was “an Indian citizen and he is associated with [Indian intelligence agency] RAW”. Meanwhile Rana Sana in a series of tweets late Tuesday said, “Pakistan has “irrefutable evidence” of the involvement of the Indian agency RAW in the blast at Johar Town, Lahore last year. India is not only behind the Johar Town blast but has also been found involved in fanning terrorism in Pakistan.” “This is a matter of internal security and we are initiating the process to take it up at the International level. Foreign Minister @BBhuttoZardari alongside the Secretary of Foreign Affairs will highlight the issue of India’s involvement at different world forums.” “The gatherings at mosques, Imambargahs, important buildings, and elsewhere have been targeted by India. India has been sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan and at the same time, trying to conceal its brutalities in occupied Kashmir.”