Under attack: Explosion injures two policemen, passerby
Officials suspect that the device was planted to target the Rangers’ mobile.
Officials suspect that the device was planted to target the Rangers’ mobile .
KARACHI:
A day after armed militants killed a police sub-inspector in Shah Faisal Colony, a police van came under attack in Patel Para on Thursday.
Two policemen, 35-year-old Nawab and 28-year-old Hafeezullah, and a passer-by, 50-year-old Imam Buksh, were wounded in the attack. According to officials, the van of Jamshed Quarters police station was stationed near Lasbella Chowk when the explosion took place.
The timer-improvised device, weighing around one-and-a-half kilogrammes, including ball bearings, was planted near the van. SHO Humayun Khan, however, said that a Rangers’ van appeared to be the target. “The spot where the device was planted was normally the stationing point of the Rangers’ van but it had moved to Numaish Chowrangi to protect the participants of the protest against the Mastung incident,” said Khan. “The police van was stationed there later so it is possible that the target of the attack were the Rangers.”
At least 19 policemen have been killed in multiple targeted attacks in the first 23 days of January while around 166 lost their lives in 2013.
A few hours before the attack, a bomb was also lobbed at the Pirabad police station by militants. The bomb, however, did not explode and was later defused by the bomb disposal squad’s experts.
Meanwhile, the funeral prayers of the slain police officer, SI Nazeer Ahmed of the Shah Faisal Colony police station, were offered at the Garden Police Headquarters. Sindh IGP Shahid Nadeem Baloch and other senior police officials attended the funeral occasion. Ahmed was posted at the Shah Faisal police station five months ago. Officials suspected the involvement of a banned outfit in the attack. “Most probably, members of a banned outfit were behind the incident,” said DSP Fakharul Islam.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2014.
A day after armed militants killed a police sub-inspector in Shah Faisal Colony, a police van came under attack in Patel Para on Thursday.
Two policemen, 35-year-old Nawab and 28-year-old Hafeezullah, and a passer-by, 50-year-old Imam Buksh, were wounded in the attack. According to officials, the van of Jamshed Quarters police station was stationed near Lasbella Chowk when the explosion took place.
The timer-improvised device, weighing around one-and-a-half kilogrammes, including ball bearings, was planted near the van. SHO Humayun Khan, however, said that a Rangers’ van appeared to be the target. “The spot where the device was planted was normally the stationing point of the Rangers’ van but it had moved to Numaish Chowrangi to protect the participants of the protest against the Mastung incident,” said Khan. “The police van was stationed there later so it is possible that the target of the attack were the Rangers.”
At least 19 policemen have been killed in multiple targeted attacks in the first 23 days of January while around 166 lost their lives in 2013.
A few hours before the attack, a bomb was also lobbed at the Pirabad police station by militants. The bomb, however, did not explode and was later defused by the bomb disposal squad’s experts.
Meanwhile, the funeral prayers of the slain police officer, SI Nazeer Ahmed of the Shah Faisal Colony police station, were offered at the Garden Police Headquarters. Sindh IGP Shahid Nadeem Baloch and other senior police officials attended the funeral occasion. Ahmed was posted at the Shah Faisal police station five months ago. Officials suspected the involvement of a banned outfit in the attack. “Most probably, members of a banned outfit were behind the incident,” said DSP Fakharul Islam.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2014.