Saturday, August 19 2006 15:07 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: A Pakistani newspaper has blamed Indian intelligence for a bomb attack aimed at Islamabad's envoy in Colombo that killed seven people about a week ago.

The News quoted unnamed officials as saying that India engineered the Aug 14 attack on its high commissioner to Sri Lanka, Bashri Wali Mohammed, in a bid to sour the burgeoning military and economic ties between Islamabad and Colombo.

The Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India's external intelligence agency, carried out the attack on Ahmed that killed, among others, the four Sri Lankan bodyguards of the diplomat, the daily said. The envoy escaped unhurt.

Mohammed, a former chief of Pakistan's Intelligence Bureau, had completed his tenure in Sri Lanka and is set to return home Monday. He was a retired colonel of the Pakistan Army.

News reports say the attack coincided with the landing of two shiploads of weapons for the Sri Lankan armed forces, meant to fight the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

According to the Pakistani officials, the high commissioner played a pivotal role in strengthening relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

"India was not comfortable with his presence in Colombo and also perturbed over Pakistan's increasing clout in the region." the newspaper quoted as source as saying.

"Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the first two countries of South Asia which have had free trade agreement (FTA). RAW wanted to sour Pakistan-Lankan relations through this attack," they alleged.

India has condemned the attack on the Pakistani diplomat that took place in the heart of Colombo when he was returning home after attending his country's Independence Day celebrations at the high commission.