KARACHI: The bomb blasts that rocked Eidgah and Shah Latif police stations on Monday morning have alarmed the law enforcement agencies, who believe the perpetrators are trying to warn them.
Officials believe that a single group is behind both the explosions and it is warning the law enforcers to back down. They believe that the culprits may be warning of a potential attack on the occasion of 12 Rabiul Awal.
According to the police, the suspects planted the bombs on the walls of Eidgah and Shah Latif police stations, where they went off at around 9 am. The loud explosion, which could be heard within a one-kilometre radius, caused panic among the residents.
Fortunately, there were no casualties but a 60-year-old woman, Fateh Bibi, was injured by broken glass. Fateh Bibi lives in the family quarters situated next to Eidgah police station. She was taken to Civil Hospital, Karachi.
The rooms of both the stations were littered with broken glass as the window panes shattered from the intensity of the blast, which left a three-foot-deep crater at both locations. This confirmed that the bombs were planted and were capable of causing damage within a 30-metre radius.
A heavy contingent of law enforcers reached the site and cordoned off the affected areas. Officials of the Federal Investigation Agency, Crime Investigation Department and Special Investigation Unit also reached the site to collect forensic evidence.
The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) also arrived for inspection. BDS official ASI Mohammad Khizar told The Express Tribune that both bombs were made by the same man, who used at least six kilogrammes of explosives in both attacks. They were locally- made bombs with no nuts, bolts and ball bearings, he said.
Evidences collected from the bombing sites suggested that the terrorists used safety-fuse bombing system in both blasts. A plastic container was used at Eidgah and a battery container was used in Shah Latif, he explained. At least three and a half kilogrammes of explosives were used in the Eidgah bombing and two and a half kilogrammes in Shah Latif.
Saddar Town SP Irshad Ali Raza Sehar was thankful that the Eidgah blast was minor since the family quarters are located close by and may have caused damages to the houses and its inhabitants.
SP Sehar added that the investigators were working on several clues about a suspect, who planted the bomb in a blue-coloured, plastic bag along the wall of the police station but no witnesses have approached the police as yet.
Bin Qasim Town SP Tanvir Alam Odho agreed that the blasts were linked. A senior police investigation officer told The Express Tribune that there are already threats of terrorist strikes on the occasion of 12 Rabiul Awal and these blasts might be a warning.
“They [terrorists] wanted to show their presence and their capabilities,” he said. “They warned us to stop anti-terrorist operations.”
He dispelled the impression that the blasts were aimed at hurting police personnel, saying that the use of low intensity explosives were only meant to create panic among the police ranks.
The cases have been registered on behalf of the state against unidentified persons. Eidgah police have registered an FIR No. 57/11 under Section 7-Anti-Terrorism Act and 3 and 4 Explosive Act, and an FIR No. 132/11 was registered at Shah Latif police station under the same sections.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2011.
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