Karachi, Jul 5 (IANS): Pakistan Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said on Tuesday that the April 26 Karachi University suicide bombing was a jointly planned by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), in which a "neighbouring country" had played a role, media reports said.

In April, a female suicide bomber, Shari Baloch, detonated herself outside KU's Confucius Institute, killing three Chinese teachers and their local driver. At the time, the BLA had claimed responsibility for the attack, Dawn reported.

In a meeting on Monday with a Chinese delegation at the Chief Minister's house, Sindh police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon disclosed that an "important suspect" has been taken into custody.

During a press conference, Inam Memon said that the suspect, whom he termed as a terrorist, has revealed that the KU attack was the joint work of the BLF and the BLA.

He said that at the time, the BLA had claimed responsibility and had also released video statements, "proudly" taking credit for the cowardly attack.

After that, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) collected CCTV footage, conducted geo-fencing and DNA sampling which led to the arrest of the BLF commander in Karachi, he said, identifying the suspect as Daad Baksh, Dawn reported.

"During the investigation process, the suspect made some important revelations. He said that he was the commander of a BLF sleeper cell in Karachi," Inam Memon said.

The suspect also said that he had been conducting recce of different BLA targets on the orders of his organisation's commander, Khalil Baloch alias Musa, he said.

He had conducted recce of the sensitive installments and of the Chinese citizens working at KU, the minister added.

He went on to say that the suspect met with the husband of the female suicide bomber, Haibastan Bashir, and another "important terrorist" named "Zeb" in Karachi, and helped carry out the KU attack, Dawn reported.

Memon said that the suspect has revealed that Zeb was the KU attack mastermind, who entered Pakistan from a "neighbouring country" and had been staying in Karachi with Baloch and her husband, Dawn reported.

He said that while being interrogated, the suspect confessed to conducting reconnaisance in Gulbai along with his accomplice as well as firing at a vehicle carrying two Chinese engineers in July 2021, which left one injured.

He further confessed that he joined the BLF in 2013 and carried out multiple attacks on security forces in Balochistan's Balgatar area, Inam Memon said.

"In 2017, he fled to a neighbouring country at the directives of the BLF commander. He later returned and stayed in Karachi."

He went on to say: "In 2022, the terrorist went to a neighbouring country and was trained by Zeb in making IEDs at the BLF and BLA camp at the Majeed Brigade's headquarters in Captain Rehman Gul's basement."

"Zeb is an extremely dangerous terrorist and an expert in making IEDs," Inam Memon said, adding that he had entered KU before Baloch and had left immediately after the attack was carried out, Dawn reported.