JIT formed to interrogate suspects arrested in connection with airport suicide attack

The Sindh home department has formed an eight-member joint investigation team (JIT) to interrogate the suspects arrested in connection with the Karachi airport attack on Chinese nationals. According to a copy of a notification obtained by The News, the JIT has been tasked with completing its investigation within 15 days.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Asif Ejaz Shaikh has been appointed as the chairman of the JIT. The team would submit its findings to the home department after completing the inquiry.

The notification reads that the JIT was constituted on the request of the CTD DIG for the purpose of interrogation/investigation of accused Muhammad Javed, son of Lal Bux, and Gul Nisa, daughter of Kareen Jan.

Other members of the JIT include representatives of the Military Intelligence (MI) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) not below the rank of major, representative of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) not below the rank of deputy director, representatives of the Rangers and Sindh police not below the rank of SP and representative of the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Counter-Terrorism Wing not below the rank of deputy director.

The JIT may seek assistance from any other agency or department if required. The two suspects were arrested in connection with the suicide attack on Chinese nationals near the Karachi airport on October 6 in which three people, including two Chinese nationals, were killed and several others injured. The suicide bomber, who was later identified as Fahad Baloch, rammed his double cabin vehicle filled with explosives into the van carrying Chinese engineers on the airport signal.

According to the bomb disposal squad’s report, around 80 kilogrammes of explosives was used in the attack. Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar and Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon while addressing a joint press conference at the Central Police Office announced the arrests of Javed and Gul Nisa accusing them of facilitating the attacker. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) had claimed responsibility of the Karachi airport blast.

The two arrested suspects have been accused of providing assistance to the suicide bomber. Police claim that the suspects are linked with the banned BLA. A total of Rs7.1 million was transferred to a bank account of a person named Saeed through a bank employee named Bilal to buy the vehicle in Karachi for the attack. The vehicle was brought from a showroom in Karachi and was possibly moved to Balochistan or any other area away from Karachi to be filled with explosives.