Security agencies have found evidence of Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing’s (RAW) involvement in yesterday’s blast in Rawalpindi which killed at least one person and was described by police an act of terrorism, it has learnt.
Sources privy to the development said on Saturday that security agencies including the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) are investigating the incident and as per the preliminary findings improvised explosive device (IED) was used in the blast.
At least 15 person including two children also sustained injuries when explosives attached to an electricity pole in Saddar Bazaar of Rawalpindi went off on Friday, police officials and eyewitnesses said.Rawalpindi, Pakistan's fourth-largest city, is known for its military garrison and adjoins the capital Islamabad.
The explosion took place on Friday evening at a popular market, a stone's throw from the heavily guarded military headquarters.
"One killed, while 12 others were injured in an explosion. The explosive was planted in an electric pole", Rawalpindi police spokesman Sajjad-ul-Hassan said.
Rawalpindi police chief Ahsan Younas confirmed the bomb explosion and toll.
An AFP photographer saw broken glass from shop windows at the cordoned-off site. Most shops were already shut at the time of the blast.
No group immediately claimed responsibility. Hassan said it was an attempt at "organised terrorism".Pakistan has seen a dramatic improvement in security in recent years.
This is the first bomb blast in Rawalpindi since 2015, the same year the army intensified a crackdown on militants.Analysts however still warn that Pakistan has not yet addressed the root causes of extremism.
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