Lahore Bombing, Hafiz Saeed and FATF

 Two days back the attack close to Hafiz Saeed Residence in Lahore made news, especially after a picture of outlawed JUD charity org FIF's head Hafiz Abdur Rauf visiting hospital went viral. Many confused Rauf with Saeed. The target of the attacks defines everything. But was Saeed the target?

1. Hafiz Saeed is currently serving sentence at Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore Even if one set aside law & that he is not in Jail it still an illogical thought especially when tourist analysts are quoting JUD he was not at home.
2. Kot-Lakhpat jail is one of the safest & secured places in Pakistan, having multiple layers of security, why would one prefer home?
3. Why would one make a public appearance when FATF secession is taking place?
4. No intended target visit such a place (possibility of  attack).

So it was just speculation & propaganda by the fifth column. So who was the intended target? Hafiz Saeed is no longer active & at this age can't lead any org, his son Hafiz Talha Saeed is considered as his successor. Who could be the target of the attack, & it is not the the first time, even in 2019 Hafiz Talha Saeed was targeted, he narrowly escaped. Interestingly even that was initially defined as Gas cylinder explosion by the officials. The CCTV footage of the attack is enough to prove that it was not a gas cylinder but an IED.

    

It was a well-planned sophisticated attack. Now, who can target Hafiz Talha. 

• Both JUD & Hafiz Saeed & his son remained on the hit list of Tehreekh e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), but with the recent rebranding drive-by Mufti Noor Wali, it offers little gains, Highly unlikely.
• UD extensively did academic work countering ISIS, Hafiz himself wrote extensively on the subject, JUD remained the main obstacle in ISKP capture of Afghanistan and Pakistan Salafist jihadists circle. Moreover, in recent months multiple attacks were carried out against clerics critical of ISIS.

Many were considered as Afghan Taliban mentors likes of Maulana Rahimullah Haqqani (Peshawar) who was targeted in Peshwar, Similarly, an attack was carried out in Quetta. But claiming such an attack would be counter-productive for ISKP, which wants to conquer Salafist circle. Even in the past, many such attacks went unclaimed, most were connected to India's Afghan proxy war but considering the timing, target & campaign regardless of the party involved the primary suspect is RAW, which wants to send a strong message in the backdrop of post-US withdrawal.

Investigations of Johar Town Bombing:

Pakistani authorities arrest an American citizen in connection with the blast, named “Peter Paul David” from a plane traveling from Lahore airport to Karachi. Pakistani intelligence today raided his house in Mahmoodabad, Karachi. Vehicle in the VBIED used belonged to him.

  Possible reasons of Lahore Bombing:

In my view, this bombing had taken place right before the meeting of FATF and Pakistan has been kept in Grey list despite of Pakistan has acted upon the 26 demands out of 27, not only this the demand No. 27 has also partially completed. The main reason could be the straight refusal to USA for providing bases for cross border actions in Afghanistan.