Thorn in criminals’ side: Huge explosion kills Karachi’s daredevil cop
Tributes pour in for Chaudhry Aslam Khan; police vow to continue his fight against terrorism.
Officials examine the wreckage of Chaudhry Aslam’s vehicle. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI:
A little before 4:40pm, Chaudhry Aslam got on to the Lyari Expressway with two police mobile units trailing behind him. Within minutes, a powerful blast struck Essa Nagri, rocking several other neighbourhoods in the city.
A thick pall of smoke hung over the sky, in open testimony to the destruction wrought scores of feet below. Rumours swirled that among the fatalities was CID’s Anti-Extremist Cell chief Chaudhry Aslam, one of three men who died in the attack. Eleven others were injured.
At the time of the blast, Aslam was on his way back to work from home. This was the fourth attack on his life since 2006.
Muhammad Aslam Khan, commonly known as Chaudhry Aslam, inspired fear and awe almost everywhere he went.
Usually spotted in his trademark crisp white shalwar kameez with his buttons undone and an unkempt beard, he was known for wearing flashy watches, carrying his Glock 9mm pistol in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Known as the Sultan Rahi of Sindh police, it is a poignant that he died on the same day that Rahi did.
When the police got to the blast site, Aslam’s bulletproof black Vigo lay 40 feet away from the blast site, which is the other side of the expressway. The other two men in his vehicle – his driver and gunmen – also died on the spot. One chunk of the expressway’s boundary wall was blown off due to the intensity of the blast. The surface of the expressway’s ramp now has cracks running down the middle.
The policemen who had been following Aslam in the police mobile units fell over the expressway and are reportedly injured. Volunteers found body parts of the injured and dead in the bushes of the Shah Muhammad Suleman graveyard – under the expressway.
Aslam’s men said that his face and chest were damaged in the blast while the bodies of his companions were mutilated.
The area was not cordoned off – reporters, policemen and residents were roaming around, trying to pick the pieces. Shrapnel and car parts could be found within a 200-metre range of the blast site.
Soon after the incident the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the bomb attack.
Speaking from an undisclosed location Sajjad Mohmand, a spokesman for Mohmand Taliban chapter of the TTP, told The Express Tribune that they had carried out the ‘successful revenge attack’.
“I, on behalf of the TTP Mohmand agency, take responsibility for the bomb attack. Chaudhry Aslam was responsible for the martyrdom and torturing of many of our Mujahideen,” he said.
He claimed that Chuadhry Aslam had tortured to death dozens of Taliban detainees and that the Taliban had been after him for a long time.
So far, the police are unclear as to what caused the blast. Their theories range from suicide attacks to IED blasts. There were also rumours of a vehicle full of explosives ramming into Aslam’s Vigo.
One of the strongest theories, however, is of a roadside remote-controlled blast through the use of 20 to 25kgs of explosives. The suspect had to be within 100 metres of the bomb for this to happen.
An investigating team had been formed and they were looking at CCTV footage, examining evidence as well as geo-fencing to check what phone calls were made before and after the blast.
People in the police force agree that there had never been anyone like him in the field. He led his men in many operations, including the eight-day long one in Lyari in 2012. During the operation, gangsters fired rockets on him and his team every day – it never deterred him though.
Aslam had so rightly prophesised that he would fight terrorists till his dying day.
Just a few hours before the blast that took his life, Aslam had gunned down three men from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and thwarted a terrorist bid in Manghopir set for Chup Tazia and Rabiul Awwal.
IG Sindh Shahid Nadeem Baloch, additional IG Karachi Shahid Hayat, additional IG CID Sindh Iqbal Mehmood and every other police officer in the city had come to the blast site. “He was a brave officer ... He was not afraid of anything,” said IG Baloch. “His martyrdom has given the police strength to fight on.” He refused to disclose anything about the investigation as police are still mulling over the nature of the blast.
Remembering Aslam, additional IG Shahid Hayat said that the SP was the bravest man he knew. “He lived like a lion and died a martyr,” he said. “We will not waste his sacrifice but double our efforts. As long as there is a policeman in this city, we will keep fighting. We will not back down.”
Discussing the attack, the additional IG said the vehicle Aslam usually used – his bomb-proof SUV – had gone for repairs and he was using a bullet-proof Vigo which could not withstand the impact of the blast.
While speaking to the media, Chaudhry Aslam’s widow said he was never scared, despite the death threats. “He would always say that he wanted to die a martyr and in the end, he did.” She added that that she had spoken to him two minutes before the blast about wanting to relocate to another house and reminding him that he had to drop the children for tuitions.
Aslam’s funeral will be held today (Friday) after Asr at the police headquarters in Garden, Karachi.
At the hospital
Aslam’s body was brought to the emergency unit of the Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC). Dr Seemin Jamali, in charge of the JPMC emergency section, told The Express Tribune, that the hospital received the body. “He died of multiple injuries and polytrauma,” she said, adding that metal and plastic pieces were also found in the body.
Condemnations poured in
Chaudhry Aslam was a very brave officer and his martyrdom will not go to waste, said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif . Meanwhile, army chief General Raheel Sharif also condemned the cowardly terrorist attack, acknowledging the contributions of the police and other law-enforcement agencies in the fight against terror.
“Today, the Sindh police lost a valiant, bold and brave officer. His role in the police department is not hidden from anyone,” said Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon, while speaking the media.
Meanwhile, patron-in-chief of the Sindh-ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said all of Pakistan should rise against terrorists and declare war against the beasts and their promoters.
Separately, Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief said, “Chaudhry Aslam was a brave officer who was active in fighting terrorism. His death has greatly aggrieved the peace-loving people of the city.”
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan also has condemned the attack. In a statement, he paid tribute to the bravery, commitment and courage of slain police officers and stated that Aslam’s death was a great loss for both the police department and the nation.
Timeline of attacks on law enforcers in Karachi
January 29, 2013
A policeman was killed and two others were wounded in an attack on the Sohrab Goth police station. Police suspect the attackers were connected to a local outfit affiliated with the TTP.
February 6, 2013
One policeman was killed and six people, including two police officers, were injured in a bomb attack targeting a police vehicle in Orangi Town.
February 7, 2013
One policeman was killed and several bystanders were injured in an IED blast near a police van in Orangi Town.
An assistant sub-inspector associated with Samanabad Police’s intelligence unit was shot dead in Bilal Colony.
A police constable was attacked while heading home in Ittehad Town.
April 3, 2013
At least four paramilitary personnel were killed and another five were wounded in a blast outside a Rangers compound in the Korangi area. TTP claimed responsibility for the attack.
April 9, 2013
The Preedy police station chief was gunned down by unidentified assailants in Saddar.
June 4, 2013
Eight Rangers personnel were wounded in an attack on their compound near the Nazimabad area.
July 12, 2013
Retired Crime Branch superintendent Maqsood Ahmad was attacked by unknown gunmen in the Lines Area.
August 2, 2013
At least four policemen were shot dead in the Shah Faisal area.
A guard accompanying the Kharadar police chief was killed in a firefight near the Paper Market.
August 11, 2013
The residence of a police official on Shahrah-e-Faisal was targeted in a blast.
October 23, 2013
Two policemen were killed and another one was wounded after their van came under fire in the SITE area.
November 18, 2013
Two policemen were killed and an inspector was injured in an attack on a police van in Nazimabad.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2014.
A little before 4:40pm, Chaudhry Aslam got on to the Lyari Expressway with two police mobile units trailing behind him. Within minutes, a powerful blast struck Essa Nagri, rocking several other neighbourhoods in the city.
A thick pall of smoke hung over the sky, in open testimony to the destruction wrought scores of feet below. Rumours swirled that among the fatalities was CID’s Anti-Extremist Cell chief Chaudhry Aslam, one of three men who died in the attack. Eleven others were injured.
At the time of the blast, Aslam was on his way back to work from home. This was the fourth attack on his life since 2006.
Muhammad Aslam Khan, commonly known as Chaudhry Aslam, inspired fear and awe almost everywhere he went.
Usually spotted in his trademark crisp white shalwar kameez with his buttons undone and an unkempt beard, he was known for wearing flashy watches, carrying his Glock 9mm pistol in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Known as the Sultan Rahi of Sindh police, it is a poignant that he died on the same day that Rahi did.
When the police got to the blast site, Aslam’s bulletproof black Vigo lay 40 feet away from the blast site, which is the other side of the expressway. The other two men in his vehicle – his driver and gunmen – also died on the spot. One chunk of the expressway’s boundary wall was blown off due to the intensity of the blast. The surface of the expressway’s ramp now has cracks running down the middle.
The policemen who had been following Aslam in the police mobile units fell over the expressway and are reportedly injured. Volunteers found body parts of the injured and dead in the bushes of the Shah Muhammad Suleman graveyard – under the expressway.
Aslam’s men said that his face and chest were damaged in the blast while the bodies of his companions were mutilated.
The area was not cordoned off – reporters, policemen and residents were roaming around, trying to pick the pieces. Shrapnel and car parts could be found within a 200-metre range of the blast site.
Soon after the incident the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the bomb attack.
Speaking from an undisclosed location Sajjad Mohmand, a spokesman for Mohmand Taliban chapter of the TTP, told The Express Tribune that they had carried out the ‘successful revenge attack’.
“I, on behalf of the TTP Mohmand agency, take responsibility for the bomb attack. Chaudhry Aslam was responsible for the martyrdom and torturing of many of our Mujahideen,” he said.
He claimed that Chuadhry Aslam had tortured to death dozens of Taliban detainees and that the Taliban had been after him for a long time.
So far, the police are unclear as to what caused the blast. Their theories range from suicide attacks to IED blasts. There were also rumours of a vehicle full of explosives ramming into Aslam’s Vigo.
One of the strongest theories, however, is of a roadside remote-controlled blast through the use of 20 to 25kgs of explosives. The suspect had to be within 100 metres of the bomb for this to happen.
An investigating team had been formed and they were looking at CCTV footage, examining evidence as well as geo-fencing to check what phone calls were made before and after the blast.
People in the police force agree that there had never been anyone like him in the field. He led his men in many operations, including the eight-day long one in Lyari in 2012. During the operation, gangsters fired rockets on him and his team every day – it never deterred him though.
Aslam had so rightly prophesised that he would fight terrorists till his dying day.
Just a few hours before the blast that took his life, Aslam had gunned down three men from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and thwarted a terrorist bid in Manghopir set for Chup Tazia and Rabiul Awwal.
IG Sindh Shahid Nadeem Baloch, additional IG Karachi Shahid Hayat, additional IG CID Sindh Iqbal Mehmood and every other police officer in the city had come to the blast site. “He was a brave officer ... He was not afraid of anything,” said IG Baloch. “His martyrdom has given the police strength to fight on.” He refused to disclose anything about the investigation as police are still mulling over the nature of the blast.
Remembering Aslam, additional IG Shahid Hayat said that the SP was the bravest man he knew. “He lived like a lion and died a martyr,” he said. “We will not waste his sacrifice but double our efforts. As long as there is a policeman in this city, we will keep fighting. We will not back down.”
Discussing the attack, the additional IG said the vehicle Aslam usually used – his bomb-proof SUV – had gone for repairs and he was using a bullet-proof Vigo which could not withstand the impact of the blast.
While speaking to the media, Chaudhry Aslam’s widow said he was never scared, despite the death threats. “He would always say that he wanted to die a martyr and in the end, he did.” She added that that she had spoken to him two minutes before the blast about wanting to relocate to another house and reminding him that he had to drop the children for tuitions.
Aslam’s funeral will be held today (Friday) after Asr at the police headquarters in Garden, Karachi.
At the hospital
Aslam’s body was brought to the emergency unit of the Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC). Dr Seemin Jamali, in charge of the JPMC emergency section, told The Express Tribune, that the hospital received the body. “He died of multiple injuries and polytrauma,” she said, adding that metal and plastic pieces were also found in the body.
Condemnations poured in
Chaudhry Aslam was a very brave officer and his martyrdom will not go to waste, said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif . Meanwhile, army chief General Raheel Sharif also condemned the cowardly terrorist attack, acknowledging the contributions of the police and other law-enforcement agencies in the fight against terror.
“Today, the Sindh police lost a valiant, bold and brave officer. His role in the police department is not hidden from anyone,” said Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon, while speaking the media.
Meanwhile, patron-in-chief of the Sindh-ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said all of Pakistan should rise against terrorists and declare war against the beasts and their promoters.
Separately, Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief said, “Chaudhry Aslam was a brave officer who was active in fighting terrorism. His death has greatly aggrieved the peace-loving people of the city.”
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan also has condemned the attack. In a statement, he paid tribute to the bravery, commitment and courage of slain police officers and stated that Aslam’s death was a great loss for both the police department and the nation.
Timeline of attacks on law enforcers in Karachi
January 29, 2013
A policeman was killed and two others were wounded in an attack on the Sohrab Goth police station. Police suspect the attackers were connected to a local outfit affiliated with the TTP.
February 6, 2013
One policeman was killed and six people, including two police officers, were injured in a bomb attack targeting a police vehicle in Orangi Town.
February 7, 2013
One policeman was killed and several bystanders were injured in an IED blast near a police van in Orangi Town.
An assistant sub-inspector associated with Samanabad Police’s intelligence unit was shot dead in Bilal Colony.
A police constable was attacked while heading home in Ittehad Town.
April 3, 2013
At least four paramilitary personnel were killed and another five were wounded in a blast outside a Rangers compound in the Korangi area. TTP claimed responsibility for the attack.
April 9, 2013
The Preedy police station chief was gunned down by unidentified assailants in Saddar.
June 4, 2013
Eight Rangers personnel were wounded in an attack on their compound near the Nazimabad area.
July 12, 2013
Retired Crime Branch superintendent Maqsood Ahmad was attacked by unknown gunmen in the Lines Area.
August 2, 2013
At least four policemen were shot dead in the Shah Faisal area.
A guard accompanying the Kharadar police chief was killed in a firefight near the Paper Market.
August 11, 2013
The residence of a police official on Shahrah-e-Faisal was targeted in a blast.
October 23, 2013
Two policemen were killed and another one was wounded after their van came under fire in the SITE area.
November 18, 2013
Two policemen were killed and an inspector was injured in an attack on a police van in Nazimabad.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2014.