Pakistani security forces arrest group commander blamed for Mumbai attack

A source of the group said that the security forces first ordered the Lashkar members to surrender but they refused to accept the demand, which prompted action by the forces.

Firefighters douse a blaze at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai November 29, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

"A military helicopter also shelled areas near the camp and the Lashkar men also opened fire in the air," a Lashkar representative said.

There are unconfirmed reports of injuries on both sides.

Some activists of the Lashkar have already moved to safe places to avoid possible arrests, the Lashkar representative said, adding that the government seemed to be under tremendous pressure for such action.

"If the situation turns bad, the Lashkar leadership may hand over some people to the government of Pakistan," he said.

Witnesses in Muzaffarabad say that they have seen an army helicopter and also heard some explosions. Around a dozen army vehicles were seen returning from the Lashkar camp, they said.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani is chairing a meeting of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet Monday to discuss the current situation in the country, an official statement said.

Pakistan is under pressure to take action against the group suspected to be behind the attacks and U.S. Senator John McCain, who was the presidential candidate, said in his visit to Pakistan that the government would take action in days.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Sunday asked Pakistan to take action against the suspects, saying that there was evidence to suggest that people living in Pakistan were involved in the recent attacks in Mumbai.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei