61 police recruits martyred in Quetta attack laid to rest

QUETTA: The 61 martyred police recruits of the Quetta police academy were laid to rest in their ancestral graveyards after their funeral in Quetta on Tuesday.

The country’s top civilian and military leaders, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, attended the funeral of the victims, whose bodies were laid in coffins draped in white and borne by soldiers in dress uniform.

Major General Sher Afgan, Inspector General Frontier Corps, said the attackers belonged to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). An emailed claim from the Pakistani Taliban, which shares close operational ties with the LeJ, backed that assertion.

“This attack was carried (out on the instructions of) Mullah Daud Mansour, close ally of Hakimullah Mehsud and head of Pakistani Taliban in Karachi,” it said, adding that four fighters took part. It said the attack was the revenge for the deaths of its fighters “outside jails” in the Punjab.

The Islamic State group (Daesh) also made a claim via Amaq, its affiliated news agency, and released a picture of what it said were the three attackers.

Sher Afgan informed the press that the attackers acted on directions inside Afghanistan. “We came to know from the communication intercepts that there were three militants who were getting instructions from Afghanistan,” he told the media.

The initial investigation of the attack has revealed that terrorists used the highly explosive C4 chemical in the attack. According to sources, it was the use of this chemical which resulted in a fire breaking out at the hostel during the time of the attack. The building of the police academy was blackened due to the effect of the C4 chemical.

Security personnel injured in the attack said that they did not have weapons. The security personnel said that if they had weapons, they would have fought the terrorists bravely. “If we had weapons, we would have taught them a lesson,” said a recruit.

“The terrorist saw me and fired, after which they went inside the hostel,” said one of the security personnel who was shot in his arm.

Gallantry awards have been announced for a Pakistan Army Captain who was martyred and a Naib Subedar who was injured in the operation, which was carried out after the terrorists stormed the Police Training College in Quetta, the ISPR said.

General Raheel Sharif Tamgha-e-Basalat has been announced for Naib Subedar Muhammad Ali who was injured in the attack.

Captain Roohullah and Naib Subedar Muhammad Ali neutralised one suicide bomber and cornered the second bomber which helped a large number of police recruits escape before the terrorist exploded himself causing the damage.

The prime minister visited the Civil Hospital in Quetta to inquire about the wellbeing of the victims of terrorist attack. He was accompanied by General Raheel, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Adviser on National Security Nasser Janjua, Commander Southern Command Lt Gen Aamir Riaz, Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri and other officials.

On the occasion, the prime minister directed the authorities to provide all possible medical assistance to the injured personnel.

Meanwhile, Sanaullah Zehri announced three days mourning in the province over terrorist attack in Quetta. In solidarity with the families of victims, the provincial government announced a three-day mourning, hence the flag would fly half-mast on all the government buildings. A day of mourning was also observed in other parts of the country. 

Meanwhile, the prime minister chaired a meeting of the civil and military leadership at the Governor House here to discuss the situation following the terrorist attack in Quetta.

The meeting was attended by Balochistan s Governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai, Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri, Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, Chaudhry Nisar, Lt Gen (R) Nasser Janjua, Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, DG ISI Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, Lt Gen Amir Riaz, DG MI Maj Gen Zaki Manj and DG MO Maj Gen Sahir Shamshad.

The prime minister was given a briefing over the tragic incident where 61 recruits lost their lives and several received wounds as the gunmen attacked the training centre.

The meeting decided to take effective and extraordinary steps against the banned organisations. It was also decided that the issue to interference in Balochistan will be taken up with India and Afghanistan.