Mumbai, Feb 18 (IANS) A Pakistani organisation called Al Alami has claimed responsibility for the Feb 13 Pune blast, the Shiv Sena said Thursday in its party mouthpiece Saamna.
In its editorial, the party expressed concern over the spectre of Islamic terrorism again raising its head and wondered whether the country was prepared to combat it.
"Whoever is responsible, it is clear that they have Pakistan's backing. Terror organisations are a part of the Pakistani military set-up, they are trained in Pakistani army camps with the aim to annihilate Hindus in India and form a Muslim government here," the editorial said.
Simultaneously, it pointed out that HuJI, an associate of Al Qaeda, has now issued a new threat warning foreign players that if they participate in IPL 3, Commonwealth Games and Cricket World Cup, the terrorists will create bloodshed.
"But who will stop HuJI? The Pune blast has proved that nobody can stop them," it said.
The editorial said that although the intelligence agencies had knowledge and even US agencies had warned of the possibility of such an attack in Pune, the Maharashtra police were busy giving protection to "Prince" Rahul Gandhi and Shah Rukh Khan's new movie.
"We were aware that Headley had visited the vicinity of the German Bakery but could do nothing to prevent the blast - making HuJI even more arrogant," it added.
"Instead, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan is only interested in providing security for IPL 3 which is the playground for a few rich people to make money."
Lambasting Chavan, the editorial said: "He has even exempted it (the IPL 3 cricket tournament) from entertainment tax, as if these rich people were social workers. The Rs.10-15 crore could have been used to provide food for poor, water, homes, electricity or prevent farmland suicides. But neither the chief minister nor his godmother in New Delhi (implying Sonia Gandhi) are bothered about these issues."
In the meantime, the terrorists came under the very nose of the government, carried out the Pune terror blast and managed to escape to safety, said Saamna.
"There are sympathisers of Pakistan in every nook and corner of the state, they are also influencing Bollywood, big business and politics. These are the people strengthening Pakistan. If terrorism has to be wiped out, the country must be cleaned of these 'Pakistanis' first," the editorial concluded.