Suspected Extremists Held in Pakistan

Police have rounded up about 20 suspected members of outlawed Islamic groups in a series of raids in Pakistan’s Punjab province, an Interior Ministry official said Tuesday.

The raids took place in advance of ceremonies today marking the 55th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence from Britain.

At a public gathering at a convention center in Islamabad, the capital, marking the creation of Pakistan out of British India on Aug. 14, 1947, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf called attacks against Christian minorities and Western interests “shameful and despicable” and pledged to intensify security measures throughout the country. Those detained in the two-day roundup included Khadim Hussain Dhilon, the secretary-general of the banned Sunni Muslim extremist group Sipah-e-Sahaba, the Interior Ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

Most of the others are believed to be members of Jaish-e-Mohammed, an Al Qaeda-linked group fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Both groups are suspected of involvement in last week’s attacks on the Murree Christian School in Jhika Gali and on a Christian hospital in Taxila.

The attacks have raised fears of a new wave of terrorism in this troubled country.

As a sign of heightened concerns, American authorities Tuesday closed the U.S. Embassy-sponsored library and information center in Islamabad, citing security fears.

Embassy spokeswoman Linda Cheatham refused to elaborate on what kind of threat, if any, had been made against the public facility, which is known in Pakistan as the American Center.

The closure comes a day after the State Department reissued its warning that U.S. citizens should defer travel to Pakistan and suggested that Americans already here leave.

The warning also said that the U.S. Consulate in Karachi would remain closed indefinitely for security reasons and that “the possibility of other threats to Americans, Christian facilities and other civilian targets continues.”

Pakistani officials believe that Islamic extremists are planning more attacks in reprisal for Musharraf’s support for the U.S.-led war on terrorism.