Target killing?: No headway in seminary attack investigation
Police officials uncertain about culprits, motive.
The Islamabad Police have not found any clues about the assailants involved in the killing of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat’s activists who were gunned down on Friday night. PHOTO: Kriss Szkurlatowski/FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad Police have not found any clues about the assailants involved in the killing of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat’s (ASWJ) activists who were gunned down on Friday night.
Two ASWJ activists — Qari Arif and Muhammad Darwesh — were shot dead by unidentified men outside Jamia Madinatul Uloom Madrassah near Khanna Pul on the Islamabad Expressway. The police have not made any arrests related to the incident, according to a police official close to the development.
The police official said the ongoing probe is being supervised by Superintendent Police (SP) Rural Circle Shabih Ahmed. However, there has been no breakthrough.
Ahmed and Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) Bashir Ahmed Noon went to the crime scene on Saturday, where Station House Office (SHO) Asjad Mehmood — the investigation officer (IO) for the case — briefed them about the incident. A case against unknown persons has been registered at the Shahzad Town Police Station.
ASWJ leaders linked the attack to the recent sectarian clashes in Bhakkar district in Punjab, where 11 people were killed on Friday and tension remains during the curfew imposed on Saturday.
According to a statement issued by ASWJ Media Coordinator Ubaidullah Usmani, “Both incidents are of the same nature, wherein our activists were targeted by members of a rival sect”.
He also announced the start of nationwide protests against the incident on Sunday (today) and called on the police to arrest the culprits. Seminary students from the madrassah, coupled with their counterparts from various seminaries in the twin cities, blocked the Islamabad Expressway in protest on Friday night, disrupting the flow of traffic between Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The highway was finally opened for traffic in the morning after the intervention of police officials.
The statement also condemned the refusal of police authorities to allow ASWJ chief Mohammad Ahmed Ludhianvi to attend the funeral of their slain members in Bhakkar.
However, SP Ahmed told The Express Tribune that it is premature to say the madrassah incident and the violence in Bhakkar are connected. “We are investigating the matter from every angle but have yet to get to the bottom of the case,” he added.
Responding to a question, Ahmed said it is difficult to determine whether the attack was an act of terrorism or a “straight murder” case, and claimed that details will “soon” be shared in a press conference chaired by a senior police official.
After the incident on Friday night, police officials of the twin cities engaged in a debate as to under whose jurisdiction the incident came. SP Ahmed said the madrassah falls under the jurisdiction of Rawalpindi Police, while the incident itself occurred within the limits of the Islamabad Police. Due to this confusion, the police had failed to alert patrolling and picket staff near the scene of the crime to intercept the gunmen, who escaped after the incident. Later, the Shahzad Town police accepted that the incident had occurred within its limits.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2013.
The Islamabad Police have not found any clues about the assailants involved in the killing of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat’s (ASWJ) activists who were gunned down on Friday night.
Two ASWJ activists — Qari Arif and Muhammad Darwesh — were shot dead by unidentified men outside Jamia Madinatul Uloom Madrassah near Khanna Pul on the Islamabad Expressway. The police have not made any arrests related to the incident, according to a police official close to the development.
The police official said the ongoing probe is being supervised by Superintendent Police (SP) Rural Circle Shabih Ahmed. However, there has been no breakthrough.
Ahmed and Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) Bashir Ahmed Noon went to the crime scene on Saturday, where Station House Office (SHO) Asjad Mehmood — the investigation officer (IO) for the case — briefed them about the incident. A case against unknown persons has been registered at the Shahzad Town Police Station.
ASWJ leaders linked the attack to the recent sectarian clashes in Bhakkar district in Punjab, where 11 people were killed on Friday and tension remains during the curfew imposed on Saturday.
According to a statement issued by ASWJ Media Coordinator Ubaidullah Usmani, “Both incidents are of the same nature, wherein our activists were targeted by members of a rival sect”.
He also announced the start of nationwide protests against the incident on Sunday (today) and called on the police to arrest the culprits. Seminary students from the madrassah, coupled with their counterparts from various seminaries in the twin cities, blocked the Islamabad Expressway in protest on Friday night, disrupting the flow of traffic between Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The highway was finally opened for traffic in the morning after the intervention of police officials.
The statement also condemned the refusal of police authorities to allow ASWJ chief Mohammad Ahmed Ludhianvi to attend the funeral of their slain members in Bhakkar.
However, SP Ahmed told The Express Tribune that it is premature to say the madrassah incident and the violence in Bhakkar are connected. “We are investigating the matter from every angle but have yet to get to the bottom of the case,” he added.
Responding to a question, Ahmed said it is difficult to determine whether the attack was an act of terrorism or a “straight murder” case, and claimed that details will “soon” be shared in a press conference chaired by a senior police official.
After the incident on Friday night, police officials of the twin cities engaged in a debate as to under whose jurisdiction the incident came. SP Ahmed said the madrassah falls under the jurisdiction of Rawalpindi Police, while the incident itself occurred within the limits of the Islamabad Police. Due to this confusion, the police had failed to alert patrolling and picket staff near the scene of the crime to intercept the gunmen, who escaped after the incident. Later, the Shahzad Town police accepted that the incident had occurred within its limits.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2013.