Show and tell: Dud torpedo whips up scare in Sehwan

‘Decorative’ weapon put on display was obtained by a retired naval official.

HYDERABAD:

A graveyard in Jamshoro district became the unwitting address for the exhibition of an out-of-service torpedo on Saturday.

Residents of Sehwan, though initially fearful, later flocked to the site to behold the unbelievable spectacle. Soon after, news of the weapon arriving in the small city spread rapidly, attracting vigilant army troops who surrounded the area. The bomb disposal squad was also called in to check the torpedo – described by locals as a ‘huge missile’ – for its explosive content.

“There was an incident over a year ago when parts of a test missile fell over some rural areas of Dadu. The people perhaps took it to be something similar,” ASP Tariq Hussain Wilayat told the media.

Wilayat put the weight of the torpedo at around 700 pounds, adding that it is over 10 feet long. It was obtained by lieutenant commander (retd) Syed Zainul Abedin, who previously served in Pakistan Navy.

“We brought it to Sehwan’s graveyard three days ago and wanted to display it as a decorative piece,” Syed Arif Shah, a relative of Abedin who was detained by the army for questioning for a few hours, told The Express Tribune. According to Shah, the torpedo was brought to the graveyard in a Mazda truck from Karachi.

Wilayat said Abedin and his relatives did not inform the police and local administration about displaying the out-of-service weapon in the graveyard, nor did they seek permission.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2014.