Lalu denies Pak-hand in Hyderabad blast

Varanasi, Aug 26 (UNI) Ruling out the role of Pakistan in last evening's killer blasts in Hyderabad, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad today said the blasts, which claimed 45 lives will not mar ongoing Indo-Pak dialogue and peace process.

''Where is the question of Pakistan's involvement in the blasts.

Pakistan itself is facing acute terrorism in the wake of recent incidents like the Lal Masjid episode. This is the work of those forces, who want to disturb communal harmony in the country by trigerring blasts,'' Mr Prasad told newspersons at the Diesel Locomotive Workshop here this evening.

Urging the nation to fight out perpetrators of the Hyderabad blasts unitedly, Mr Prasad ruled out that the killer blasts at the Lumbini Park and Gokul Chat will in any way mar the ongoing Indo-Pak dialogue process.

''Our peace or dialogue process with Islamabad will not be marred by this killer blasts, which also claimed lives of two junior engineers of Railways,'' Mr Prasad said.

When queried about the failure of Congress government in Andhra Pradesh to check the recurrence of blast after the May last blast at the Mecca mosque also in the same capital city, Mr Prasad avoiding a direct reply said ''this is not the question of fixing responsibility on any Congress or BJP government. The need of the hour is to fight out the terrorists unitedly.'' Terming the Hyderabad blasts as the handiwork of forces, who want to divide the country, Mr Prasad said ''just like the UPA government worked out the Mumbai blast in an year's time will the Hyderabad blast also be worked out.'' Addressing the concluding session of the sixth national convention of RJD at Sarnath here earlier in the day, Mr Prasad said those responsible for the Hyderabad blasts will have to pay for it.

Later a two-minute silence was observed in the memory of those killed in the blasts.

UNI