Under attack: Third media house targeted in two days
Security personnel at the ARY News offices were screening the premises when they found a suspicious object.
An official of the bomb disposal squad defuses an un-exploded bomb found outside the offices of Nawa-i-Waqt on MA Jinnah road on Monday evening. PHOTO: MOHAMMAD NOMAN/EXPRESS
KARACHI:
The offices of ARY News came close to becoming the third media house in the city to be attacked within a span of two days.
On Tuesday, the security personnel at the ARY News offices were screening the premises when they found a suspicious object. The guards immediately alerted the office. "The guards had been put on high alert following yesterday's attacks on media houses," explained a correspondent of ARY News, Syed Shabihur Rehman, while talking to The Express Tribune. "Apparently, the bomb was not thrown at our office because of the stringent security arrangements. It seems to have been placed there to be used at a later time."
Earlier on Monday, unknown assailants hurled explosive devices at the offices of Aaj News and Waqt News. The attack on the offices of the former left two of its employees injured, while the attack on the latter luckily caused no injuries as the device failed to explode.
When the law enforcers received information about the explosives at ARY News office, they cordoned off the area. Bomb disposal squad experts also reached the site and defused the bomb. "This was a 'cane bomb'. Similar devices were used to target the offices of the other media houses on Monday," a BDS official told The Express Tribune. "It contained around 500 grammes of explosives including ball bearings and metallic pieces."
Meanwhile, the cases of the attacks on Aaj News and Waqt News were registered at the Soldier Bazaar police station.
Though the police investigators have yet to make any arrests, they believe that the same group is behind the recent attacks on media houses. "It is difficult for us to provide security to all the media houses," said District East SSP Pir Mohammad Shah.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2014.
The offices of ARY News came close to becoming the third media house in the city to be attacked within a span of two days.
On Tuesday, the security personnel at the ARY News offices were screening the premises when they found a suspicious object. The guards immediately alerted the office. "The guards had been put on high alert following yesterday's attacks on media houses," explained a correspondent of ARY News, Syed Shabihur Rehman, while talking to The Express Tribune. "Apparently, the bomb was not thrown at our office because of the stringent security arrangements. It seems to have been placed there to be used at a later time."
Earlier on Monday, unknown assailants hurled explosive devices at the offices of Aaj News and Waqt News. The attack on the offices of the former left two of its employees injured, while the attack on the latter luckily caused no injuries as the device failed to explode.
When the law enforcers received information about the explosives at ARY News office, they cordoned off the area. Bomb disposal squad experts also reached the site and defused the bomb. "This was a 'cane bomb'. Similar devices were used to target the offices of the other media houses on Monday," a BDS official told The Express Tribune. "It contained around 500 grammes of explosives including ball bearings and metallic pieces."
Meanwhile, the cases of the attacks on Aaj News and Waqt News were registered at the Soldier Bazaar police station.
Though the police investigators have yet to make any arrests, they believe that the same group is behind the recent attacks on media houses. "It is difficult for us to provide security to all the media houses," said District East SSP Pir Mohammad Shah.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2014.