ISLAMABAD : 23-12-2007.

The Pakistani government said on Sunday it would push ahead with its fight against al-Qaeda and Taliban militants despite a deadly suicide attack at a mosque near the Afghan border that killed at least 50 people.

Former Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao, the apparent target of Friday's bombing, escaped unhurt. Sherpao, who was heavily involved in operations aimed at eliminating al-Qaeda and the Taliban, survived a similar attack eight months ago.

Information Minister Nisar Memon said Sunday that the latest attack, which hit during prayers for the Muslim holiday of Islamic Eid al-Adha, was a ``shameful act'' that would not stop this Islamic nation from persisting in its fight against terror groups.

``Pakistan is a front-line state in the war on terror, such attacks cannot deter our resolve,'' he told state-run Pakistan Television.

Pakistan is a key U.S. ally in the war on terror, and suspicion for the mosque attack fell on pro-Taliban or al-Qaeda militants active in northwest Pakistan _ near the Afghan border _ where the attack occurred.

The blast also shook up the campaign for Jan. 8 parliamentary elections.

Memon said Pakistan would hold the vote as scheduled, and the government would take all possible measures to ensure the safety of candidates across the country.

President Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, has asked the security agencies to find those behind the attack on Sherpao, who is a candidate in the election.
Police have collected pieces of clothing, shoes, prayer mats and two severed legs of a man from the scene, and investigators were examining them for clues to identify the bomber, an official involved in the probe said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Security forces also said they arrested seven students from a nearby Islamic school.

By shamsheer (H)