Involved in Sehwan attack: LEA claim to arrest a suspect from Balochistan

Rangers round up 8 people in Karachi as part of the ongoing operation.


Faraz Khan May 13, 2017
Soldiers stand guard outside Lal Shahbaz Qalandar's shrine. The shrine was targeted by a suicide bomber on February 16, which claimed over 80 lives. PHOTO: APP

KARACHI: Acting on a tipoff, law enforcement agencies (LEAs) on Friday arrested a man allegedly involved in the February 16 suicide attack at a Sufi saint’s shrine in Sehwan Sharif. At least 90 devotees were killed and over 300 injured in the blast later claimed by outlawed Jamaatul Ahrar militant group.

The suspect – identified as Tahir – was taken into custody during a raid conducted at Uthal area of Balochistan, sources in the police told The Express Tribune.

Tahir is suspected of being involved in the Sehwan bombing. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Tahir worked for Abdul Hafeez Pandrani, a leader of the Hafeez Brohi group which is affiliated with the outlawed sectarian outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).

Lal Shahbaz Qalandar's 375th urs: 5,700 law enforcers to provide security in Sehwan

Pandrani is suspected to be the mastermind of the Sehwan bombing. So far, the LEAs and intelligence agencies have failed to arrest the key suspects including Pandrani despite passage of three months as the security officials believe the suspects are in hiding in Afghanistan.

District West SSP Nasir Aftab said nothing could be said about the involvement of Tahir in the Sehwan Sharif bombing as investigations were at a preliminary level.

Meanwhile, paramilitary Rangers arrested eight more suspects during the ongoing targeted raids and operations in the city. According to Rangers spokesperson, the suspects are involved in various crimes including targeted killings, extortion, street crimes, robberies and drug peddling.

Bloodbath at Sehwan shrine

Five suspects – arrested from Baghdadi area of Lyari – were identified as Hanif alias Annu, Shahzad, Zubair, Waleed and Yousuf.  Rangers’ spokesperson said the suspects belong to Lyari gang war and Baloch Liberation Army.

He said three more suspects were rounded up during raids in Saudabad and Ferozabad areas of the city. The suspects were identified as Shahid Iqbal, Yousuf Khan and Rafiq Khan.

He said the suspects arrested were involved in drug peddling. “Arms, ammunitions and narcotics were also recovered from their possession while further investigation is under way,” he added.

COMMENTS (1)

Shaikh Mohommad | 6 years ago | Reply Will those arrested be brought before the courts? OR this is just propaganda news! Or Military courts will be used to punish the terrorists? Justice should not only be done but should be seen to be done. This is not the case in Military courts. Will the government ensure that Military courts are used to try Military personnel only?
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ