ATC sends BLA suspects to jail in airport suicide attack case

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday sent two suspects said to be associated with the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) to jail in a case pertaining to the recent suicide attack near the Karachi airport that killed two Chinese nationals and a Pakistani citizen.

Personnel of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) brought Javed, alleged mastermind of the suicide bombing, and his female aide Gul Nisa to the ATC in Clifton in an armoured personnel carrier (APC) amid tight security.

The investigation officer produced the suspects before the administrative judge of the ATCs on completion of their physical remand and requested an extension in their remand for a second time.

The IO informed the judge that a joint investigation team had been constituted to probe the case, adding that a meeting of the JIT had already been held to interrogate the suspects. He requested the judge to grant an extension in the suspects' physical remand until December 11 for further interrogation.

Turning down the IO's plea for extension in the remand, the judge sent the suspects to prison on judicial remand with a direction to the investigation officer to submit a charge-sheet against them within the stipulated time.

Meanwhile, the judge issued a notice to the prosecution on an application filed by a company said to be linked with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), seeking to return case property that included two vehicles. The court directed the investigation officer to submit his report in this regard on December 16.

An FIR was lodged under the Pakistan Penal Code’s sections 302 (murder), 353 (assault to deter public servant from discharging duty), 324 (attempted murder), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharging public functions) and 427 (mischief causing damage) read with the Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act after a massive explosion targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers on a road near the Jinnah International Airport on October 6, killing a total of three people, including two Chinese nationals, and injuring at least 11 others.

The case, which was registered at the CTD police station on the complaint of Airport Police Station SHO Kaleem Khan Moosa, also included the sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act.