In memory of 58: Another year, more terror

Police yet to make any headway in four out of five incidents

LAHORE: The menace of terrorism reared its ugly head in Lahore again during 2017 as the city was victim to five attacks which claimed at least 58 lives and left another 250 people injured. In four of the cases, police has not been able to make any substantial progress with regard to the investigation.

The first incident occurred on February 13 on Mall Road when a suicide bomber targeted a protest of paramedics. As a result, at least 13 people, including seven policemen, were killed and 85 people were injured. DIG Captain Mobeen Ahmad and SSP Zahid Nawaz Gondal also lost their lives in the incident.

The second blast occurred at a café in a market in Defence Housing Authority on February 23. At least eight people were killed and 39 were injured in the incident. However, authorities claimed there was no evidence to suggest that the incident was caused by an explosion.

The third incident was a suicide blast targeting a census team on Barki Road on April 5. Seven people, including four army men, were killed and 22 were injured in the incident.





The fourth incident occurred on July 24 on Ferozpur Road where a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a group of policemen who had gathered to supervise anti-encroachment action. A total of 26 people were killed and 58 were injured in this particular attack. The final incident occurred on Outfall Road in the Lower Mall police precinct where an explosive-laden fruit truck exploded. The incident claimed two lives and 46 others were injured by the explosion. The incident occurred on the scheduled route of the rally of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Investigations into terror incidents

The Punjab Counter Terrorism Department, which has been investigating all these cases, could not solve any except the Mall Road suicide blast. Investigators had identified the main facilitator, Anwar-ul-Haq, and the suicide bomber, with the help of CCTV footage provided by the Punjab Safe City Authority. Anwar was arrested and later killed in an encounter in Barki in April.

As far as the blast at the café in Defence was concerned, the investigators could not reach to any conclusion. After three hours of initial investigations, CTD claimed that it was an explosive blast. Later, they retracted this statement and declared the incident a cylinder blast. Subsequently, the Lahore police formed an investigation team, headed by DIG Investigations Sultan Chaudhry, to probe the matter.

In the case of the attack on the census team in April, 2017, CTD could not find any further clues to the investigations. They had collected forensic evidence, conducted DNA tests and geo-fencing of the area. The department had also taken at least four people into custody from the area, but failed to arrest a prime suspect or facilitator involved in the incident.

In the Ferozpur Road blast, the CTD could not reach any substantial development in the investigations. According to probe details, the suicide bomber had come to the site of blast on a motorcycle. A few suspects associated with the bike were taken into custody. However, there was no substantial development which could lead to the arrest of the involved facilitators or masterminds of the attack.





In case of Outfall Road, CTD blamed the negligence of police and other departments, saying it led to the incident. According to investigations, the owner of the parking lot, where the truck was park, had told Lower Mall police that a suspicious vehicle was present in the area with a strange smell emanating from it.

Police, rather than taking any action, asked the complainant to leave the police station. During further investigations, CTD found that the truck was registered against name of two people through the alleged forgery of agents and officials of the Excise and Taxation Department. The suspects in this regard were arrested, but investigations that could lead authorities to the prime suspects, facilitators and masterminds.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 27^th, 2017.