KARACHI, 22 May 2004 — Two Afghan militants were arrested and a large quantity of explosives seized in a raid on their Karachi home yesterday, police said.
The two had been supplying weapons and explosives to a banned group fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, local police officer Imran Shaukat told reporters.
“We have arrested two men linked to banned Harkat ul-Mujahedeen Al-Alaami,” he said, adding that 178 kgs of explosives were recovered.
Al-Alaami is a splinter group of a militant outfit known as Harkatul Mujahedeen.
The latest arrest came a day after police captured a leader of the group, which is also linked to a plot to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf in Karachi two years ago.
Shaukat said police also seized 10 detonators, 150 meters of water-proof fuse wire and dozens of plates which suicide bombers use to fix explosives to their jackets.
The suspects were identified as Wasif, who is known by only one name, and Ghulam Rahim.
Pakistani Stocks Close Higher on Hopes for Budget Incentives
Pakistani stocks closed 0.60 percent higher yesterday as investors resumed pre-budget buying in industrial sectors likely to get incentives in the next fiscal year, dealers said. The Karachi Stock Exchange’s benchmark KSE-100 index rose 33.14 points to end the day at 5,510.98.
“It is pre-budget speculative buying and we see it continuing next week too,” Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari Securities’ chief analyst Arshad Arif said. Cement, automobile and oil and gas sectors remained the key attractions amid speculative buying.
