Punjab Police close to arresting Johar Town blast culprits: Sheikh Rasheed

• Interior minister gives Punjab Police a pat on the back for investigation on Johar Town blast. 
• Pakistan will never succumb to pressure, vows interior minister. 
• Pakistan has completed 86% of its border fencing with Afghanistan, says minister. 

ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed revealed Thursday that the Punjab Police was close to arresting the culprits of Lahore's Johar Town blast. 

At least three people were killed, while 20 others, including a cop, were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast near the residence of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed on Wednesday.

"The Punjab Police has achieved remarkable success in the Johar Town blast incident [investigation]," announced Rasheed in a video message. 

"We are close to them [perpetrators] and Punjab Police will soon tell the nation the good news that they have been arrested," he added. 

The minister vowed that Pakistan's enemies had become frustrated as the country had successfully defeated the coronavirus pandemic and brought about political and economic stability in the country. 

"People who want to spread anarchy, chaos in Pakistan and want to bring Pakistan under pressure, [should know] that Pakistan will never succumb to pressure," he added. 

The minister said that Pakistan's fencing of the Afghanistan border had been completed by 86% and on the Iran border, the country had completed 46% of the fencing. 

Initial report submitted to IGP

A preliminary report of a probe by investigative agencies was submitted to Inspector General Punjab Inam Ghani, sources told Geo News Wednesday.

The report will be presented to Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar shortly, sources had added.

More than 30kg of explosives were used in the blast, according to the initial report, which adds that "foreign-made materials" were used.

Ball bearings, nails and other explosives were among the objects used in the bomb.

The initial report states that the material had been planted onto a car and the device was detonated remotely.

A 3-foot deep and 8-foot wide crater has formed at the site of the blast, the report had also said.

The blast had caused damage within a ​​100-square-foot radius.

Was Hafiz Saeed the target?

IGP Ghani has surmised that police had been targeted in the attack. While speaking to the media shortly after the blast, he had advised people to not pay any heed to rumours related to the blast.

The IGP had the media that the CTD is probing the incident and a detailed report will be shared about the nature of the blast and the material used.

"We are not sure what caused the explosion or whether it was a planted device [that caused the explosion], or a suicide blast," he had said at the time.

In response to a question whether Hafiz Saeed — the leader of the outlawed Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) was the target — Ghani had said: "There is a police picket near the house of a high value target, which is why the vehicle could not have gone near the house." This is why he believes the police were targeted, reported Geo News.

He did not provide any further information on the high value target.

"You should be thankful to the police," he had said.

Ghani vowed to arrest those behind the terrorist act.