These people workfor foreign intelligence agencies and the explosives recovered from them are also of foreign make, says SSP Najeebur Rehman. PHOTO: NNI
Police have arrested the group responsible for the Qissa Khwani bomb blast, with clues that they have links to foreign intelligence agencies.
Addressing a press conference at Malik Saad Police Lines on Tuesday, SSP Najeebur Rehman said they arrested four people in a raid on a house in Sara Dargai, Mattani and recovered 840 kilogrammes of high-quality explosives.
The men arrested include Niazbeen, Shiraz, Haji Habib and Asif, all of whom hail from Kurram Agency but have been residing in Mattani, on the outskirts of Peshawar, for the past couple of years. He said that upon interrogation it was discovered the group was directly responsible for the bomb blast in the historic market that killed 38 people and injured nearly 100 on September 29. One of the gang members, Suliman, had also been killed in the blast as he was too close to the device when he detonated it via remote control.
“These people work for foreign intelligence agencies and the explosives recovered from them are also of foreign make,” he said, adding all four terrorists had been produced before the court and a four-day remand had been obtained.
“Among them is a terrorist whose real name is Musam Khan but had an ID card with the fake name of Shiraz and a business of prize bonds in Darra Adam Khel,” Rehman said, adding the man used his business as a cover and before the Qissa Khwani blast, he visited and stayed in a hotel to survey the area.
Over 80 suspects arrested
Around 80 suspects, including 33 Afghan nationals illegally residing in Pakistan, were arrested in an operation in the jurisdiction of Banamarhi police station on Tuesday. Police launched an operation in Garhi Qamardin, Achar and Bahader Kalay and carried out a door-to-door search.
An official of the Banamarhi police said security forces also assisted the police in the search operation and that it continued for four hours. Similar operations have been conducted in Pishtakhara, Chamkani, Yakatoot and Badhaber in which dozens of people have been arrested so far.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 30th, 2013.
COMMENTS (20)
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@adnan: You mean to open the Pak-Afgh borders with no visa reqm't like Imran Suggests? There are Baloch who share same culture in Iran and Kashmiri's have same people both sides of the border, Punjab too has same people on either side. Please explain, what did you mean!
How can you clean Pak from afghans,All people of KPK are afghans,Pashton means afghan.
Wonder if we can obtain the technology India possesses and uses quite often. The enemy ID card making machine. One day india will be caught red handed.
All please note that (once again) the UN-NAMED FOREIGN HAND EXCUSE has been trotted out for a gullible Pakistani public!
KPK team, well done..... we wish to have the information of foriegen agency but not necessary...... I wish that more police of law and forces work hard and save the citizen of Pakistan from more bomb attacks....
I am starting to believe the story of Waar. Foreign agencies are definitely involved.
Time to clean pak from Afghans!
@we know it: heheheh....... hostility vs hostility bro... :D
@Raza: I salute thy height of ignorance. Its truly remarkable, sir.
How do we know these people are foreigners?
IK has already said this so he must have been in on this plan otherwise HOW could he have known that their was a foreign hand in these attacks?!?!?! Common sense? I think NOT!
it is quite pathetic.they need to be more specific,otherwise not many people will believe them.
After the Talibans took over in the mid-90's, the Indians--yes, they are the real 800 pound gorrila in the room--started supporting factions against Pakistan. India would LOVE to have the Pakistani state facing two hostile fronts. Now will they also name the intelligence agencies or their respective countries? TTP are Afghanistan proxy and Afghanistan (northern alliance) is india proxy. Now the massacre of these 38 innocent passerbys is on who's hand. Aman ki asha is a joke.
Keep it up KPK Police......
Please tell us the names of foreign intelligence agencies or its a state secret.
Oh wow! First headline is, "US catches Afghan govt 'red handed' in plotting with Pakistani Taliban: Report". A couple of minutes or hours later, " Hidden hand?: Police arrest gang responsible for Qissa Khwani blast" in which they also say, "Around 80 suspects, including 33 Afghan nationals illegally residing in Pakistan, were arrested in an operation in the jurisdiction of Banamarhi police station on Tuesday.". Uncanny con-incidence! What is going on here??
ET, Have you ever seen Indian papers making fun of even real suspicious and outright rediculous claims of their politicians' claim about "foreign" involvement in local violance.
Which foreign intelligence agency?? What is the point of making such a claim if you will not tell the public WHICH foreign intelligence agency they supposedly belong to.