Flight PK-756: Militants might have attacked the plane, says official

Officials dispute weapons, location of shooting as suspects rounded up.

PESHAWAR:

Maqnoon Begum’s children were eagerly awaiting her return to Peshawar on Tuesday night from Saudi Arabia after performing Umra.

“We were waiting for the flight to arrive, and just as it got to Bacha Khan International Airport, everyone starting running away from the building,” her son says. Airport officials said a Pakistan International Airlines plane had come under attack as it prepared to touch down in Peshawar. As officials brought the injured out of the airplane, Maqnoon Begum’s children spotted her.

Police officials say 50-60 rounds were fired at the airplane, and a bullet from one hit Maqnoon Begum in the head. She was laid to rest on Wednesday in Hayatabad.

Law enforcement officials are convinced that the plane, carrying 178 passengers and crewmembers, was attacked by local militants over Suleman Khel area and the attackers used SMGs.

An intelligence officer told The Express Tribune that a ‘soft skin aircraft’ such as PK-756 could be damaged by SMG fire, but bringing the plane down was out of the question. “These attackers did their homework before staging the attack. They wanted to create panic and they were successful,” the official said.

However, SP Cantt Faisal Kamran said an AK-47 had been used in the attack. “Around eight bullets actually hit the aircraft as per the information shared with us by PIA officials and these are AK-47 bullets,” he said, adding that during the search operation, officials arrested three or four suspects involved in the attack.

More than 500 suspects have been arrested so far in the ongoing search operation by security forces in the Badhber area of the city as well as nearby areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2014.