Benazir convoy attack: Brains behind Oct 18 attack visited Karachi twice since

It has been four years, but the main suspects haven’t been arrested — because they’re in the tribal areas.

KARACHI:

The man believed to be the brains behind the October 18 attack on Benazir Bhutto’s homecoming parade, Abdul Wahab Mehsud, has managed to slip into Karachi twice since the attack — a case that has seen no arrests in the last four years. Over 150 people lost their lives and hundreds others were wounded when a pair of suicide bombers blew themselves up on Shahrae Faisal as Bhutto’s cavalcade passed.

The men who the intelligence and law enforcement agencies describe as ‘the prime suspects’ have escaped to Waziristan. A senior official speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Express Tribune that they have received information about Wahab Mehsud’s visits to Karachi twice. Unfortunately, he returned to Waziristan before they could hunt him down.

Wahab is the son of a retired policeman who was posted to the Garden police headquarters. His two brothers, Ismail Mehsud and Asmatullah Mehsud, were also arrested by the CID’s Anti-Extremism Cell in 2010 but were later released from the court as they were noted for only minor criminal offences — possession of illegal weapons.

Before they went free, however, they disclosed their identities and relation to Wahab Mehsud during interrogations. According to a report obtained by The Express Tribune, Asmatullah revealed that his brother Wahab and his companions Haji Jan Mohammad and Faiz Mohammad masterminded the Karsaz attacks.

“One day, while sitting at a hotel at Kunwari Colony, Haji told me that the blasts at Benazir Bhutto’s welcome procession at Karsaz were done by him, Wahab and Faiz Mohammad in which hundreds of innocent people were killed and injured,” the suspect told interrogators. He claimed that Haji Jan Mohammad followed up the confession with a death threat to make sure he would not tell anyone.

A second senior official revealed that the authorities had no idea what they were on to when they arrested Wahab’s brothers. They had picked the men up for possession of weapons, because they were members of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s Hakimullah group, and active in their network in Karachi. They themselves have not been connected to the Karsaz attacks.

He said the group has strongholds in Sohrab Goth, Jungal Goth, Sultanabad, Pakhtunabad, Ittehad Town, Daud Goth, Ghidar Colony, Malir, Quaidabad and Macchar Colony.

“Wahab deals with all Taliban activities in Karachi from Waziristan,” the officer said. “His brothers and some members of the Taliban under him are present in Karachi as commanders.”

Wahab’s family, including his brothers and children, still live in Kunwari Colony in Manghopir, the officer added. “It isn’t like we have stopped tracking them,” he said. “We are after them even today, but this is not a routine case that can be solved in one day. It takes years to catch suspects like these and solve cases like this one.” As for chasing the suspects to Waziristan, the official said that it would be very difficult as the security forces are at war with the Taliban. According to him, other people suspected of being involved in the blasts are also hiding in Waziristan, while some have been killed. Baitullah Mehsud, Qari Hussain and Qari Zafar have been killed while Hakimullah Mehsud, Mufti Waliur Rehman and Wali Mehsud are alive and are believed to be hiding in Waziristan.

For his part, AEC Chief Chaudhry Mohammad Aslam Khan said that the cell has expanded its network and was positive that the day would come when Wahab and the other prime suspects would be in their custody. However, for these arrests to be possible, they have to be in Karachi.

Less optimistic was terrorism expert Amir Rana. He told The Express Tribune that it was very difficult to catch culprits who escape to the tribal areas after orchestrating terrorism in Karachi or other parts of the country. “There is no doubt that it is very difficult to catch terrorists who run away to the tribal areas,” he said. “There are two factors, firstly intelligence networks and surveillance have to be strong and the coordination system has to be the best. Secondly, the prosecution and trial system has to be good. Only then can we catch and punish these terrorists.”

Who’s who

Suspect: Abdul Wahab Mehsud

His accomplices: Haji Jan Mohammad, Faiz Mohammad

His brothers: Ismail and Asmatullah Mehsud arrested in 2010 but released

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2011.