ISLAMABAD, 27 December 2003 — Al-Qaeda militants and religious fanatics in Pakistan are suspected to be behind an increasingly organized effort to kill President Pervez Musharraf following the second assassination attempt in 11 days.
Musharraf escaped death Thursday when suicide bombers rammed his motorcade with two bomb-laden cars at a petrol station two kilometers (1.2 miles) from his residence in Rawalpindi, adjoining Islamabad, killing 14 people and injuring 46 others.
Prime Minitser Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has said that the government would revamp the security arrangments for the president. Jamali told journalists in Parliament House that the government had found some clues with regard to the attacks on the president.
The government has launched a massive probe into the attempts on the president. Senior officials said that they have made some headway in the probe.
President Musharraf resumed his normal official duties on the day of the attack, officials said. He attended a reception for foreign dignatories currently on a visit to Pakistan.
Ruling party Sen. Mushahid Hussain called the attacks a “matter of deep concern,” especially since the latest bid was made near Musharraf’s residence, in the heart of an area controlled by the military which he leads.
“It shows an organized group is chasing him,” he said, while an Interior Ministry official called the attacks a “new trend,” saying that suicide bombings were not common in Pakistan.
“The broad guess is that it could be a nexus between Al-Qaeda and extremist militant groups here,” analyst Talat Masood told AFP. “They seem to be determined — look at their audacity, boldness and precision (in carrying out) the attacks.”
Musharraf himself said late Thursday the attacks could be in response to Pakistan’s role in the US-led war against terrorism, and blamed unnamed “terrorists and extremists” for the bombings.
“There is a strong possibility of this. We are fighting a war against terrorism, but we will not lose courage,” he said on state television hours after the bombings.
Pakistani security agencies said last week they were questioning 10 Al-Qaeda suspects rounded up in Rawalpindi after the Dec. 14 attack on Musharraf.
President Musharraf yesterday announced financial assistance of 500,000 rupees (about $8,600) each for the families of those killed in the suicide attack, officials said. Officials said those who sustained injuries will be given 100,000 rupees each.
