M A I N   N E W S

Dawood behind blasts
Arrests on anvil; Bangalore, Hyderabad next targets
Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 25
Central agencies have warned that Bangalore and Hyderabad could be the next targets of Pakistan-aided terrorists after today’s bomb blasts in Mumbai in which India’s most wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim and his D Company have been used in a big way.

Top sources told The Tribune today a “breakthrough” was on the cards in investigations into two blasts in Mumbai.

Central agencies believe that some key arrests are on the anvil in the next 24 or 48 hours.

While Dawood and his D Company have provided the support base for today’s blasts, Ahle Hadis, the religious front outfit of Lashkar-e-Toiba, and Students’ Islamic Movement of India are also involved.

The Tariq Ali module of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), active in Maharashtra and other parts of India, is understood to be behind today’s attack.

The main objective of today’s blasts is to hit at India’s economic might. Mumbai was chosen for the obvious reasons: (i) India’s worst-ever terrorist act was staged in this commercial capital of the country 10 years ago on March 12, 1993, when 13 bombs exploded one after another, triggering panic and communal riots; (ii) Sensex steadily going up; (iii) India’s foreign exchange reserves have reached an all-time high at around $ 90 billion.

Bangalore and Hyderabad have been identified as targets by ISI-backed terrorists as the world has noticed their giant strides in the field of Information Technology.

The Centre has sensitised and alerted the governments of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh about the terrorist threats.

Today’s blasts in Mumbai have cast a shadow over the Indo-Pakistan detente.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is likely to meet soon to review the whole gamut of questions about the law and order situation in the country and Indo-Pak relations after the blasts.