KARACHI: Sindh Inspector General of Police (IG) Ghulam Nabi has constituted a five-member committee to investigate the terrorist attack on the Karachi Police Chief’s office on Saturday.
In a nerve-wracking operation that lasted for nearly four hours on Friday evening, three militants were killed and four persons, including two policemen and a sub-inspector of Sindh Rangers, were martyred.
Eighteen others, including police and Rangers personnel, were injured in the terror attack, which followed a deadly suicide attack at a mosque in Peshawar Civil Lines that left 84 people dead.
The Karachi Police Office (KPO) — a building located on the city’s main artery — has identified lapses in security arrangements at Shaara Faisal.
Sources familiar with the matter said that the intelligence agencies have already expressed their concerns over the security arrangements at the CPO.
According to a statement issued by the office of IG Sindh, “A committee with the following composition has been constituted to inquire into the incident of attack on the Karachi Police Office and supervise the investigation of the case.”
Sindh Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) Zulfiqar Ali Larique will head the committee while other members of the committee include Karachi South Zone DIGP Irfan Ali Baloch, Crime Investigation. Agency DIGP Muhammad Karim Khan, Senior Superintendent of Karachi CTD Operations are involved. Police Tariq Nawaz and Karachi CTD Investigation In-charge Raja Umar Khattab.
The chairman of the committee may add any other member required for the investigation, the statement read.
It should be noted that the responsibility of the attack was accepted by the banned organization Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Security flaws
According to Geo News, there is no security gate to enter Police Lines Sadar, where the families of police personnel are staying.
Sources said that the terrorists entered the KPO by allegedly climbing the rear wall and the three security posts of the City Police Chief’s office were not present at the time of the attack.
“The barbed wire on the back wall of the KPO was also cut,” he said, adding that Shahrah Faisal has no CCTV cameras installed to monitor the building.
Speaking exclusively to Geo News on Friday, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that there is a general threat to security after the terrorist attack in Peshawar.
He further said that all the institutions across the country are fully alert.
The security czar stressed the need for more measures to counter the fresh wave of terrorism.
AMMUNITION DETAILS
According to Geo News, two sub-machine guns (SMGs) were seized, but the serial number of one of them was obliterated. A Kalashnikov with a red grip was also recovered. Four hand grenades were also seized from the terrorists.
Another hand grenade was also recovered from the militant who blew himself up, while two jackets, a large number of ball bearings and food items were also recovered.
All items were later sent for forensics.
