19 die in bloody siege at Pakistan police academy

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-03-30 23:11

The attacks pose a major test for the weak, year-old civilian administration of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, which has been gripped with political turmoil in recent weeks. The Obama administration has warned Pakistan that militancy threatens the nation's very existence, while US officials complain the country's spy agencies still keep ties with some of the insurgent groups.

Policemen take cover at the site of a shooting at a police training centre in Lahore March 30, 2009. [Agencies]

Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik told state-run TV that Pakistan's police are not equipped to fight the wave of terrorism.

"In our country, at our different borders, arms are coming in, stinger missiles are coming in, rocket launchers are coming in, heavy equipment is coming, it should be stopped," Malik said. "Whoever the anti-state elements are, they are destabilizing the country."

Lahore, a vibrant metropolis considered by many to be Pakistan's cultural capital, seems to be an increasingly alluring target for militants. The cricket attack in early March, when gunmen ambushed the visiting Sri Lankan team in a crowded traffic circle, sparked a battle that left six police officers and a driver dead and wounded several players.

Those gunmen escaped unscathed and have not been publicly identified.

The brazen assault using commando-style tactics also was reminiscent of measures used by the militants who laid siege to several parts of Mumbai last year for three days. The Sri Lankan attack also had similar features, including heavily armed, backpack-toting gunmen, but it was much quicker. Observers have since speculated that those attackers might have hoped to grab hostages as well.

India has blamed the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba for the Mumbai assault, and Pakistan has taken several of the outfit's alleged leaders into custody. Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is largely based in eastern Punjab province, has denied involvement in either Mumbai or the cricket team attack.

Several militant groups operate well beyond Pakistan's northwest. Some of them, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, have their roots in the Kashmir dispute with India, and Pakistani spy agencies are believed to have helped set them up.

Pakistan's stability is of paramount concern to the US, which is fighting a growing Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan more than seven years after the American-led invasion ousted the militant regime from power there. Al-Qaida and Taliban fighters are believed to hide out in Pakistan's northwest while planning attacks on US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

In unveiling a new strategy for Afghanistan last week, President Barack Obama pledged more aid to Pakistan but warned it not to expect a "blank check" without any accountability. Obama pledged increased assistance to Pakistani security forces, specifically equipment for the military.

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