RAW, NDS behind Dasu attack: FM Qureshi

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that the Afghan soil was used for the Dasu attack, reported 24News HD TV channel on Thursday.  

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the National Directorate of Security (NDS) and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), intelligence agencies of Afghanistan and India respectively, were behind the attack. He said the government had arrived at the conclusion after taking into account several aspects that came to light in the probe. He said the investigations found the facilitators of the Dasu incident and also traced the vehicle used in the attack. 

The foreign minister said that China had expressed concern over Dasu incident and information regarding the incident had also been shared with the Chinese in this regard. He said China was satisfied with the investigations so far. 

Qureshi said that the authorities reviewed 36 CCTV cameras along the 1,400 kilometre route that the bus had gone through. He said that Pakistani investigators had identified the vehicle used in Dasu incident, adding that footage of 36 CCTV cameras had been checked during the investigation. He said that the authorities had traced the handlers of the incident and the investigation revealed that a car was smuggled into Pakistan.

The FM said that the first target of attackers was Diamer Bhasha Dam, adding that after failing to target Diamer Bhasha Dam, the attackers targeted Dasu.

He said that the NDS and RAW nexus could not bear Pak-China’s growing cooperation and increasing Chinese investment in the country. 

Qureshi said enemies would not succeed in their nefarious designs in harming the all-weather friendship between Pakistan and China. He said both countries were unanimous to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation. 

"We came to an initial conclusion that this was a blind case and could not be solved easily, but our institutions have successfully solved it," the foreign minister said. He said more than 1,000 workers of the Dasu Hydel Project were scrutinised and interviewed.

DIG CTD KP Javed Iqbal said they had found the parts of the car used in the incident; the finger and thumb of the alleged suicide bomber were also recovered from the site and we did a forensic and chemical analysis of them.

He further said that the DNA and other samples of the person were cross-checked with National Database and Registration Authority's (NDARA) database, but we could not get a lead from there.

Authorities then analysed more than 500GB of CCTV cameras, and this exercised helped us identify a vehicle, Honda Accord, he said.

 “We found a sticker of "Chaman 2 Motors" on the number plate of the car,” he said and added that the showroom's owner revealed that he had got the car seven months back.

"When we backtracked the car, it emerged that it had been transported from Afghanistan, the officer said. 

The authorities then found a mobile phone through which they located the first suspect, Hussain. Later, we tracked him and through Hussain, we reached a second suspect, Ayaz, and arrested him from Karachi, he said. He said 14 persons were involved in the Dasu attack.