KARACHI:
Almost a month to the day when law enforcers nabbed the chief of a faction of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’s (LeJ) Sindh chapter, the crime investigation department’s Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) claimed that it arrested another four members of the banned outfit.
AEC chief SP Chaudhry Aslam Khan presented the suspects, who were identified as Asif Hussain alias Hakla, Yasin alias Yawer, Hafiz Mohammad Mubarak alias Omar and Hazrat Ali alias Murtaza, during a press conference at Garden Police headquarters on Tuesday. Officials said that they had been arrested during raids in different parts of the city. Nearly 25 kilogrammes of explosive material, 10 feet detonating wire, four hand grenades, two Kalashnikovs, three TT pistols and a 9mm pistol were also allegedly seized from the suspects.
Khan said that the accused admitted during initial interrogation that they were affiliated with LeJ, and that they had targeted around 15 people on sectarian basis in Qasba Colony, Orangi Town, Manghopir, Old Golimar, Taimuria and other parts of the city. They are also wanted in over 90 cases of robbery in the city.
“They were planning to carry out a bomb blast before Muharram to create sectarian tensions in the city,” claimed the AEC chief. He added that one of the accused, Asif, was the key suspect involved in the kidnapping of Shaukat Afridi, who was a prominent oil supplier to Natoforces.
Afridi was killed when two suicide bombers blew themselves up after a CID team raided their hideout in Baldia Town in September 2008.
LeJ reportedly has two factions operating in the city, with one led by Naeem Bukhari and the other by Asif Chohto. AEC claimed to have arrested Chohto’s LeJ Karachi chief on October 5 and Bukhari faction’s Sindh chief, Hafiz Qasim Rasheed alias Ganja on October 17. Rasheed reportedly carried out more than 100 murders, including the assassination of Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPA Raza Haider.
Paramilitary forces conduct separate raids
Rangers detained another 23 suspects during targeted raids in Bilal Colony, Shamsi Society, Model Colony, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Awami Colony, Liaquatabad, Punjabi Club and Post and Telegraph Colony on Tuesday. A suspected target killer, Shamimur Rehman, was among the suspects who were taken into custody. Officials added that 16 weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunitions were also seized.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 14th, 2012.
COMMENTS (4)
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Also show us the faces of these monsters. why are you hiding them?
If Iran is involved in Pakistan then I must tell you they do a really bad job. They need to learn a thing or two from Saudi Arabia. I am the last person who would justify killing any innocent but it is also outrageous when a few sunni die, we start hearing from sunnis and sunni leaders. What about the thousands of shias that have been killed in the last few years. Every day 8 to 10 Shias are being killed but who cares about them right? It wouldn't shock me if the few sunnis that are killed are killed by the same lunatics who target shias.
Don't cry if tit for tat killing is finally started by the shias. koi ek hadd tuk bardaasht ker sakta hai. ya tum log chahtay ho kay tum maartay raho aur woh chup chaap martay rahain?
@peace and only peace: very true iranian as well as saudi proxies in Pkaistan must be banned. There is no shia-sunni divide beyond difference of opinion. This issue is being created out of thin air for ulterior motives.
And what about Banned SMP. They martyred 6 innocent Madarsa students(they neither belong to SSP nor to LEJ) in front of my apartment. If GOVT. wants to make peace in Karachi then it should take steps unbiased and also stop investment from our neighboring countries for sectarian killings.