Intelligence Bureau sources said that Pakistan terming the 26/11 Mumbai [Images] attacks and the Samjhauta Express blast as similar in nature is a delaying tactic.

IB officials say that the only similarity in both the cases is that it was masterminded by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba [Images]. Intercepts picked up and investigations conducted in the Samjhauta case point a finger to the Pakistan-based terror outfit.

According to them, Lashkar attacked the train between Pakistan and India because it was upset that growing ties between the two countries may hamper its war in Kashmir. Hence the Lashkar, in coordination with the Inter Services Intelligence, bombed the train in the hope that it would derail the process.

The Lashkar utilised the services Asif Kasmani, who has been declared an international terrorist by the US, to carry out these blasts. Kasmani used to work as a coordinator between the Lashkar and the Al Qaeda [Images] and was based in Pakistan.

Kasmani masterminded the attack and he used a lot of persons from India for the attack. Abdur Rehman was one of the point men for the blast. Rehman held Kasmani arrange for the material to carry out the blasts. Rehman, who had close ties with the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihadi-al-Islami, used its help to arrange for the explosives. Rehman was later picked up for his role in the Jaipur [Images] serial blasts.

The IB says the Samjhauta blast and the 26/11 blasts were masterminded by the same persons sitting in Pakistan. IB officials say Kasmani is being sheltered in Pakistan and he is the key to unravelling the conspiracy behind the Samjauta blast.