2010 not marked by any major breakthroughs in terrorism cases
This year has been notable for the lack of any major breakthroughs in terrorist cases by law enforcement agencies.
KARACHI:
The law-enforcement agencies claim to arrest scores of suspected militants every other day but this year has been notable for its lack of any major breakthroughs in terrorist cases. And the one that was ostensibly cracked is internally disputed by them.
After a lull in attacks following the Nishtar Park tragedy in 2006, militants chose to target Karachi during the Ashura procession in 2009. And then, in 2010, this year so far, four major terrorism incidents followed.
For its part, the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) claimed to have arrested four alleged terrorists involved in the 2009 Ashura attack, in which at least 45 people were killed.
The police said that the men were operatives of the banned Jundullah (Army of God) outfit.
But the SIU investigators have yet to disclose their modus operandi and other operational activities that the culprits may have revealed during questioning. Unfortunately, the suspects managed to flee from the city courts where they were being produced for a hearing. Sources in the interior ministry disclosed that SIU officials also received promotions and rewards based on these arrests.
After some time, the Central Investigation Agency (CIA) in Lahore claimed to have arrested the actual militants behind the Ashura attack.
They claimed that the culprits belonged to another outfit, the Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Taking note of the discrepancy, the federal interior ministry issued directives to the Sindh home department and inspector-general of Sindh to explain the earlier arrests. It has reportedly received no substantial response.
For his part, Karachi chief of police Fayyaz Laghari has neither denied nor confirmed the problem and advised this newspaper to contact SIU chief SSP Raja Omer Khattab for answers.
When The Express Tribune contacted the Karachi-based Khattab, he said that he had been unable to follow up on the militant arrests made in Lahore because the officials never responded.
“First, I contacted the chief of police in Lahore and he told me to contact the Lahore CIA SP Omer Virk,” said Khattab. “I approached Virk to allow me to interrogate the militant but I only received lame excuses from him.”
And so, when the SIU declared that it had busted the terrorist network, mourners in the Chehlum procession were attacked twice on the same day last Muharram. At least 50 people died in the two bomb blasts.
Other ostensibly unsolved cases challenging the intelligence agencies and security forces are the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine attack in October and the massive and brazen attack on the Crime Investigation Department complex in Civil Lines, Karachi.
By chance
Ironically, the suicide bomber, Siddique, who blew himself up in Nishtar Park three years ago was also identified by chance, and not as the result of investigtions, when his brother reported him missing at Soldier Bazaar police station.
Siddique’s brother told the police that his brother used to work at Shop No. 29 outside Binori Town mosque. Investigation officer in the Nishtar Park case showed pictures of the victims, including the head of the suspected suicide bomber, that was recognised by his brother.
This breakthrough helped the Intelligence Bureau officials to track down the network that Siddique was working for.
They also interrogated the imprisoned mastermind of Allama Hassan Turabi’s murder case, Sultan Khan, who confessed that he had sent Siddique to Nishtar Park with absconder Mufti Ilyas and Khalid Darawala, aides of Qari Abid Mehsud.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 17th, 2010.
The law-enforcement agencies claim to arrest scores of suspected militants every other day but this year has been notable for its lack of any major breakthroughs in terrorist cases. And the one that was ostensibly cracked is internally disputed by them.
After a lull in attacks following the Nishtar Park tragedy in 2006, militants chose to target Karachi during the Ashura procession in 2009. And then, in 2010, this year so far, four major terrorism incidents followed.
For its part, the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) claimed to have arrested four alleged terrorists involved in the 2009 Ashura attack, in which at least 45 people were killed.
The police said that the men were operatives of the banned Jundullah (Army of God) outfit.
But the SIU investigators have yet to disclose their modus operandi and other operational activities that the culprits may have revealed during questioning. Unfortunately, the suspects managed to flee from the city courts where they were being produced for a hearing. Sources in the interior ministry disclosed that SIU officials also received promotions and rewards based on these arrests.
After some time, the Central Investigation Agency (CIA) in Lahore claimed to have arrested the actual militants behind the Ashura attack.
They claimed that the culprits belonged to another outfit, the Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Taking note of the discrepancy, the federal interior ministry issued directives to the Sindh home department and inspector-general of Sindh to explain the earlier arrests. It has reportedly received no substantial response.
For his part, Karachi chief of police Fayyaz Laghari has neither denied nor confirmed the problem and advised this newspaper to contact SIU chief SSP Raja Omer Khattab for answers.
When The Express Tribune contacted the Karachi-based Khattab, he said that he had been unable to follow up on the militant arrests made in Lahore because the officials never responded.
“First, I contacted the chief of police in Lahore and he told me to contact the Lahore CIA SP Omer Virk,” said Khattab. “I approached Virk to allow me to interrogate the militant but I only received lame excuses from him.”
And so, when the SIU declared that it had busted the terrorist network, mourners in the Chehlum procession were attacked twice on the same day last Muharram. At least 50 people died in the two bomb blasts.
Other ostensibly unsolved cases challenging the intelligence agencies and security forces are the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine attack in October and the massive and brazen attack on the Crime Investigation Department complex in Civil Lines, Karachi.
By chance
Ironically, the suicide bomber, Siddique, who blew himself up in Nishtar Park three years ago was also identified by chance, and not as the result of investigtions, when his brother reported him missing at Soldier Bazaar police station.
Siddique’s brother told the police that his brother used to work at Shop No. 29 outside Binori Town mosque. Investigation officer in the Nishtar Park case showed pictures of the victims, including the head of the suspected suicide bomber, that was recognised by his brother.
This breakthrough helped the Intelligence Bureau officials to track down the network that Siddique was working for.
They also interrogated the imprisoned mastermind of Allama Hassan Turabi’s murder case, Sultan Khan, who confessed that he had sent Siddique to Nishtar Park with absconder Mufti Ilyas and Khalid Darawala, aides of Qari Abid Mehsud.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 17th, 2010.