Pune blast may not derail Indo-Pak talks

A day after the deadly Pune terror attack in which nine people were killed, including two foreigners and at least 57 injured in a bomb blast at German Bakery, forensic and intelligence agencies were busy on Sunday connecting the leads they have, to zero in on the terrorist outfit and whether there was any Pakistani connection. Lashkar or the hand of Indian Mujahideen is suspected by the security agencies.

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has said the incident was not a case of intelligence failure. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reviewed the situation following the blast and directed the Union and Maharashtra governments to take coordinated and effective action to speedily investigate the matter. An Italian women and an Iranian student were among those killed in the blast.

Chidambaram briefed the Prime Minister on his visit to Pune and on the state of investigations. Expressing his deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of all those killed and injured in the incident, the PM announced a relief package of Rs. 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the next of kin of those killed in the terror attack, and Rs. 1 lakh to those injured, a PMO spokesman said.

With the scheduled Indo-Pakistan Foreign Secretary-level talks on Feb 25, India is taking a cautious stand and avoiding any knee-jerk reaction. The talks are on for the present, but External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna has indicated a final decision would be taken after the Pune blast probe. New Delhi has noted that at a recent meeting of anti-India jihadi groups in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, mention was made of Pune by JuD leaders. For the record, however Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani has condemned the Pune blast and said his country was against any form of terrorism. The US and UK too have condemned the heinous act which took the lives of innocent people.

The probe into the Pune blast case was moving in the right direction but it was very premature to say who was behind the terror attack, a top police official said on Sunday. "Investigation is on. With the assistance of National Investigation Agency, state's Anti-Terrorism Squad is probing the case and it is moving in the right direction," Inspector general (law and order) Rashmi Shukla said. Asked whether police have any suspicion that the blast could be the handiwork of Indian Mujahideen or any other outfit, she said, "It's very premature to say who is behind or responsible for the blast."

The Improvised Explosive Device, kept in a packet outside the kitchen of the German Bakery, exploded at around 7.30pm when a waiter attempted to open it. Besides the ATS, experts from the Indian Army and forensic laboratory have reached the spot to collect evidence from the scene of crime, Shukla said.

Among the nine killed in the incident, five were identified as Ankik Dhar (24), Anandi Dhar(19) and Shilpa Goenka (23) of Kolkata, T Sundari (22) of Bangalore and Bineeta Gadani of Mumbai. One of the four unidentified bodies is that of a female, who could be a foreigner, Shukla said.

Out of the 57 injured, which include foreigners, 20 have been discharged while the rest are undergoing treatment at hospitals in Pune. The security at vital installations, religious places, railway stations and other places frequented by foreigners had been beefed up, she said. Among the twelve injured foreigners, five are from Iran, two Sudanese, two Nepalese, one each are from Yemen, Taiwan and Germany.

Expressing India’s resolve to counter terrorism, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said the people were “well aware of the dark forces of terrorism are against the peace and amity between nations”. In a statement from Chennai, the Minister said, “It is most tragic and unfortunate that they have struck yet again leading to a loss of innocent lives. We will resist the forces of terrorism with firmness and determination.” Krishna declined to comment on the fate of the February 25 Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pune bomb blast. “They (terrorists) want to create fear and suspicion,”. Krishna said, adding, “they sow seeds of distress to create confusion and we will not be cowed down by the terror”. There is a country-wide alert following th blast and security at Goa carnival currently on being tightened in view of the presence of many foreigners in Panaji.

BJP against talks with Pak

It rejected. Chidamabarm's claim that Pune blast was not an intelligence failure, The BJP on Sunday asked the government not go ahead with "misconceived and adventurist steps" like resuming dialogue with Pakistan and rehabilitating militants returning from PoK. It rejected.

Chidamabarm's claim that Pune blast was not an intelligence failure. The BJP Core Group held a meeting to discuss the Pune blast and said the government must introspect whether the intelligence collection and security responses are still inadequate. "The government in the past few days has announced some misconceived and adventurist steps... The BJP urges the government to reconsider both these steps -- allowing persons from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to return and resuming dialogue with Pakistan," leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley said. "As long as the terror infrastructure in Pakistan is not dismantled and Pakistan does not stop sponsoring terror from its soil, composite dialogue should not resume," Jaitley said.

Condemning the Pune bomb blast, the CPI(M) has described the attack as "disturbing", saying it came despite prior warnings of a possible terror strike. "Media reports on prior warnings concerning a possible terror attack in Pune are indeed disturbing as these attacks have taken place despite this. It is imperative in the interest of the country's internal security that such lapses be identified and rectified urgently," it said in a statement.

Pak, US, UK condemn blast

Pakistan premier Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday condemned the bomb blast in Pune, saying Pakistan is against terrorism in all its manifestations and maintained that his country wants better relations and a “meaningful dialogue” with India. “We condemn the blast in Pune. We condemn terrorism in all its manifestations,” Mr. Gilani told reporters in Rawalpindi. “We want to be freed of terrorism and this menace,” he said.

The U.S. and U.K. on Sunday condemned the bomb blast in Pune with Washington saying it will “assist” India as needed to help bring the perpetrators of the “cowardly act” to justice.

Offering his condolences, U.S. Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer said: “On behalf of the people of the United States, I extend heartfelt sympathy to the Government of India and the victims” of the terror strike. In a statement, the British High Commission condemned the Pune attack and expressed U.K’s solidarity with India.

- Asian Tribune -