Prime Minister Imran Khan said Tuesday India was responsible for the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) attack in Karachi a day earlier and that it had planned to destablise the country.
Speaking in the National Assembly, PM Imran lauded the security forces for thwarting the attack, which he said could otherwise have been a major tragedy. "We have no doubt that India is behind the attack," he told the lower House of the parliament.
The prime minister paid his respects to the martyrs, among whom were a police officer and two PSX security guards, saying there were "Pakistan's heroes".
The prime minister said the four heavily-armed terrorists aimed to stage a hostage situation similar to the one that happened years ago in Mumbai when terrorists had attacked the Bombay Stock Exchange in 2008.
"They had planned to do exactly the same in the [Pakistan] Stock Exchange and murder innocent people to create an atmosphere of unstability [sic] and uncertainty. We have no doubts that this plan was made by India.
"My cabinet knew for the last two months [that there would be an attack and] I had informed my ministers. All our agencies were on high alert," he added.
In yesterday's attack on the stock exchange in Pakistan's financial capital, security forces had killed all four terrorists in retaliatory response after they opened indiscriminate fire.
"We were fully prepared and I thank God — because no matter how much you're prepared, you cannot fully stop it, we all know that the world's most powerful armies and agencies cannot such attacks — but this was a major victory for our nation.
"Apart from the martyrs, I also wish to pay tribute to our intelligence agencies," he added. ■
The main thing making weather headlines Friday and into the weekend will be the widespread coverage of showers and thunderstorms across much of the central and eastern U.S., with a particular focus across southeast Texas, the Mid-South, and portions of Virginia.