The Pakistani link to the recent terror strikes in Hyderabad, Ajmer and Ludhiana came to the fore on Monday as India sought Pakistan’s help in tracking down suspects who are believed to have cross-border links.India is learnt to have referred to Harkat-ul-Jihadi-Islami (HuJI) and its commander Shahid Bilal, who is alleged to have masterminded nearly all the recent terror strikes in the country.“The recent terror strikes figured in the second meeting of the Joint Anti-Terrorism Mechanism between India and Pakistan held here on Monday,” a senior official said. The meeting also came days after the Ludhiana blast and amid Indian concern over attempts in Pakistan to build up a radical Sikh environment.Investigators feel the Mecca Masjid attack and the Ajmer blast were carried out by the same group — HuJI Bangladesh — due to similarities in the modus operandi. Both used a mobile phone trigger and unexploded devices were found after both strikes.According to security agencies, Bilal fled India after the attack on the STF headquarters in Hyderabad in 2005 and took refuge in Karachi. Bilal, who was drafted into militancy by Rasool Khan Party, developed a terror network in and around Hyderabad, initially using modules of Lashkar-e-Toiba and subsequently drawing in HuJI cadre who came in from Bangladesh. India also asked Pakistan about action taken on information it had shared on the Samjhauta Express attack, the Malegaon strike and the Mumbai blasts at the first meeting in Islamabad in March. No arrests have been made yet in the Hyderabad blasts (Mecca Masjid and the twin blasts), the Ajmer strike or the Ludhiana blast.On its part, Pakistan is learnt to have raised terror attacks in the country and sought India’s assistance in working out some recent cases. The two sides reviewed follow-up action on information shared at the first meeting of the mechanism in Islamabad in March this year. A joint statement issued after the meeting said the two countries “agreed to continue to work to identify measures, exchange specific information and assist in investigations”.At the first meeting, the two sides discussed the framework that needed to be put in place to share information related to terrorism. The second meeting was delayed after Pakistan sought time since its pointsman for the talks had retired. The feeling here, however, was that the delay had to do with the volatile internal situation in Pakistan.The Indian delegation was led by K C Singh, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. The Pakistan team was headed by Khalid Aziz Babar, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The next meeting will be held in Islamabad though dates have not been decided. The mechanism was set up following an agreement between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pervez Musharraf in Havana in September 2006.Today’s meeting was the third in a series of interactions between the two countries. Last week, talks were held on conventional confidence building measures and nuclear confidence building measures.The meeting came a day before India hosts the sixth SAARC conference on police matters. The conference to be held on Tuesday will be followed by the SAARC Home Secretaries’ meet on Wednesday and the SAARC Home Ministers’ meet on Thursday. The exchanges will look at increasing cooperation in security, particularly in tackling terrorism, narcotics smuggling and human trafficking. “The agenda includes a SAARC visa exemption scheme and a draft convention on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters,” the Home Ministry spokesperson said. Afghanistan, the newest SAARC member, will participate in these meetings.
