Drama as bomb found near Adiala Jail

Labourer chances upon 1,200 grams of explosives

RAWALPINDI:

A chance discovery of 1,200 grams of explosives attached to a home-made detonator created panic in the garrison city Tuesday after it was found in Gorakhpur near Adiala Jail while a judge of the special court was on his way to the prison to hear the cipher case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan.

Police said the explosive device was found five kilometres from the jail in an open space near a local sweet shop. A Pashtun labourer passing by noticed the suspicious material and called the police.

When the police squad showed up, they confiscated the alleged device and transported it to the Adiala Jail police post.

Meanwhile, experts from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Civil Defence, the bomb disposal squad (BDS), special bomb disposal van, police officers and senior officers of the intelligence agency arrived at the scene after receiving information about the explosive material.

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The CTD police registered an under the Explosive Substances’ Act 1908 against unidentified suspects.

Drama with detonator

A policeman at the Adiala check-post placed the device in a polythene bag to transport it to an open area around 600 feet away from the jail.

However, while he was leaving, the bag got torn and the explosives landed on the ground. This took place in the presence of the media.

The policeman picked up the device once more and wrapped it in the same shopping bag. He then took it to the designated spot where he placed it atop a concrete structure.

As per those on the scene, ASP Zainab Ayub arrived an hour and a half later. After that, she issued instructions to cordon off the area and refused to answer media queries.

Two hours later, the BDS of Civil Defence arrived with their explosive detection van.

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They took around fifteen minutes before declaring that the explosives had been defused.

Its commander said the explosive material weighed 1,200 kgs and was active. A large police contingent was present at the scene.

Because of this potentially dangerous explosive, Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain took an alternative route to go to Kutchery Chow, Adiala Jail.

Cause of concern

The response of the local police and authorities to the discovery of the explosives – including the casual manner in which it was transported – is a cause of concern particularly considering the spate of terrorist attacks that have rocked the country in recent months.

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It included an audacious attack on an air force base in Mianwali over the weekend in which nine terrorists were killed. A day earlier, at least 14 soldiers lost their lives after militants ambushed two vehicles of security forces in Gwadar.

Two policemen lost their lives and three others were injured in an attack targeting personnel guarding an oil and gas exploration company’s camp in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan in the early hours of Tuesday.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2023.