Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday lauded prompt, effective and integrated response of the Pakistan Rangers and Sindh Police in eliminating terrorists attempting to attack the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) building in the heart of the country's financial hub Karachi, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
General Qamar also paid glowing tributes to security guards, who sacrificed their lives as first responders, vigilantly checking terrorist’s entry to PSX and foiling a major terrorist incident.
“With support of our resilient nation, we will foil all efforts of enemies aimed at destabilising hard earned peace achieved through sacrifices of our martyrs," the ISPR quoted the COAS as saying.
Appreciating law enforcement agencies for their operational readiness, the army chief lauded prompt, effective and integrated response of the law enforcement agencies eliminating terrorists in shortest possible time.
#COAS paid glowing tributes to security guards of #PSX, who sacrificed their lives as first responders vigilantly checking terrorist’s entry to PSX foiling a major terrorist incident. Appreciating LEAs for their operational readiness, COAS lauded prompt, effective... (1/2)
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) June 29, 2020
Earlier in the day, gunmen attacked the PSX building, martyring two guards and a policeman before security forces killed all four of the attackers.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility in a post on Twitter but Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the claim and spokesmen for the group were not available for comment.
The police chief, Ghulam Nabi Memon, told Reuters the gunmen attacked with grenades and guns after pulling up in a silver Corolla car.
They threw a grenade at security men posted outside the compound then opened fire on a security post. The four were killed when security forces posted their responded.
Their car was abandoned where they left it.
Two guards and a policeman were martyred and seven people were wounded, Deputy Inspector General of Police Sharjil Kharal told media.
The Pakistan Stock Exchange did not suspend trading during the attack. Its main KSE-100 index dropped 220 points but it later recovered and was 242 points higher when the market closed.
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