Kinetic actions insufficient to overcome challenges

KARACHI:

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir has said no nation can overcome such challenges with kinetic actions only as it needs mutual trust, will of the people, and synergy between all stakeholders.

“Pakistanis have always rejected and defeated terrorism and extremism in all its manifestations. Together, we shall prevail upon this menace for a shared prosperous future,” the army chief said during his visit to Karachi, a day after terrorists attacked the Karachi Police Office (KPO) martyring four people, including two policemen and a Rangers man.

According to the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah were briefed at the Corps Headquarters about the terrorism incident.

The COAS and chief minister visited the KPO, where Special Service Group (SSG), Sindh Rangers, and police personnel killed all the terrorists and cleared the site in a successful coordinated counter-terrorism operation on Friday night.

Subsequently, the chief minister and top commander also visited the Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and met the injured soldiers of Sindh police and Rangers.

They praised the bravery, morale, and sacrifices of the army, police, and Rangers in the line of duty, the ISPR said.

Murad stated that the state acknowledged and saluted innumerable sacrifices rendered by the law enforcement agencies and the nation’s unbreakable resolve against terrorism.

“Terrorists have no religious or ideological moorings, rather only misguided conception forced through coercion or inducement," COAS Gen Asim Munir said.

"Contrary to political and other distractions being faced by the public, the security forces remain singularly focused on CT and intelligence based operations (IBOs) which are being conducted all over the country with pronounced success," the COAS emphasised.

Further, the Sindh inspector general of police formed a five-member body to probe into the brazen terrorist attack on the tightly guarded KPO located on Sharea Faisal.

The committee has also been assigned the task of supervising the progress of the investigation into the attack, which was carried out to target the Karachi police chief.

In a related development, two of the terrorists have been identified by the security forces.

At least four people embraced martyrdom, including two policemen and a Sindh Rangers trooper, while 16 others suffered injuries, when three terrorists, wearing suicide vests and carrying automatic weapons as well as grenades stormed the KPO on Friday evening, ensuing into a gun battle that raged for more than three hours.

All the assailants, affiliated with the terrorist outfit, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), were killed by the law enforcement agencies.

According to a notification issued by the office of the IGP, the committee’s chairman is Sindh Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) Zulfiqar Ali Larik.

Other members include Karachi South Zone DIGP Irfan Ali Baloch, Crime Investigation Agency DIGP Muhammad Karim Khan, Karachi CTD Operations Senior Superintendent of Police Tariq Nawaz and Karachi CTD Investigation In-charge Raja Umar Khattab.

The order read that the chairman could co-opt any other member required for conducting the probe.

In connection with the investigation, security forces identified two of the terrorists involved in the attack on the KPO.

Of the three militants killed in the retaliatory action by the security forces, two of them belonged to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The terrorist who blew himself up during the security operation was identified as Kifayatullah, son of Miraz Ali Khan, and a resident of Wanda Amir, Lakki Marwat.

The second terrorist was identified as Zala Noor, son of Wazir Hasan, belonging to North Waziristan.

The police office building suffered significant damage during the attack. Many walls were covered with bullet holes while windows and doors had been destroyed.

A suicide bomber had detonated himself on the stairs adjacent to the elevator in front of the Karachi police chief’s office, causing severe damage to the office on the fourth floor.

As a result of the explosion, the elevator also became inoperable, while important office records and equipment were scattered everywhere. The plaster and tiles of the walls had also been torn off.

South Zone DIGP Irfan Ali Baloch, a member of the committee, said the terrorists were targeting the Karachi additional IG -- the city’s police chief -- pointing out that they had known which floor his office was on.

“The terrorists continued to gather information for a month. They had come to the office of the additional IG Karachi,” DIGP Baloch said.

He added that after the terrorists attacked after completing their surveillance.

“The terrorists came in a vehicle from Saddar,” he explained.

The KPO is located behind the Saddar police station on Sharea Faisal.

The compound is home to dozens of administrative and residential buildings as well as hundreds of officers and their families.

The Karachi police also shared a video of the attack on Twitter, showing DIGP East Muqadas Haider and his gunman Taimur fighting off the terrorists.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah's revelation about the “involvement of foreign hands” in the attack would also be investigated.

After the attack, Karachi Additional IG Javed Alam Odho held a meeting at his office that was attended by officials of the law enforcement agencies.

TTP warn of more attacks

Meanwhile, the TTP on Saturday warned of more attacks against law enforcement officers.

"The policemen should stay away from our war with the slave army, otherwise the attacks on the safe havens of the top police officers will continue," the TTP said in an English-language statement.

"We want to warn the security agencies once again to stop martyring innocent prisoners in fake encounters otherwise the intensity of future attacks will be more severe."

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has vowed to stamp out the violence.

"Pakistan will not only uproot terrorism but will kill the terrorists by bringing them to justice," he tweeted late Friday.

"This great nation is determined to end this evil forever."

Condemning the attack, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the United States stands "firmly with the Pakistani people in the face of this terrorist attack. Violence is not the answer, and it must stop".

In their statement, the Taliban called the raid "a blessed martyrdom" and warned of more to come.

"This attack is a message to all the anti-Islamic security agencies of Pakistan... the army and police will be targeted at every important place until the way for implementation of the Islamic system in the country is paved," it said.

Funeral prayers of martyrs offered

Meanwhile, the funeral prayers of the policemen martyred in the terrorist attack were offered at the Central Police Office Karachi earlier in the day.

Apart from policemen Ghulam Abbas and Saeed, who were martyred during an exchange of fire with terrorists at the KPO, the funeral prayer of Amjad Masih was also performed at the CPO.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad, Sindh Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Corps Commander Karachi Lieutenant General Babar Iftikhar, Sindh IGP Ghulam Nabi Memon, Senior Provincial Minister Saeed Ghani, Additional IGP Karachi Javed Alam Odho, Zonal DIGPs Karachi, DIGPs of Security Branch, RRF, district SSPs, senior police officers and employees posted at CPO and relatives of martyrs attended the funerals.

The Sindh IGP expressed his sympathy and condolence to the heirs of the martyrs and paid tribute to them and their departmental services.

The IGP gave instructions to the senior police officers present on the spot that all the legal and documentary matters regarding the prevailing benefits for the legal heirs of the martyrs should be completed as soon as possible.

(With input from AFP)