‘The attack forced Bashir Jan to leave Pakistan for US’

In the Mominabad UC of Quaid-e-Awam Colony, destroyed houses and the burnt out wreckage of a vehicle are stark reminders of the influence once enjoyed in the area by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. 

At least 11 people were killed and over 50 injured on April 25, 2013, when Taliban militants targeted in the area the electoral rally of Bashir Jan, the Awami National Party’s candidate from the PS-93 constituency, by planting explosives in a rickshaw. 

Alamzaib Alai, a leader of the ANP, had hosted that street corner meeting for Jan. “That day, hundreds of supporters had gathered in support of Jan and the ANP,” Alai had told The News in an earlier conversation.

“The bomb had exploded as soon as Bashir Jan arrived. It is one of my most harrowing memories. Jan and I were fortunate enough to have survived, but 12 of our people were killed and over 50 injured.”

Since then, Alai continuously received threats from militant groups and survived more attempts on his life.

As for Jan, who was the party’s former provincial secretary general, the attack proved to be a last straw and forced him to flee the country by applying for asylum in the United States.  

With Jan gone, the ANP out of Karachi’s political picture and a period of three and half years having passed, there remained little to no hope of the case ever leading to any arrests.

However, just a day ago late on Wednesday, the Sindh Rangers killed the mastermind of the attack – Salman alias Yasir, the head of the TTP’s Swat chapter – in a shootout in the Manghopir area. 

Along with him, two other militants – identified as Muhammad Hussain alias Mistri Pathan and

Muhammad Salman Khan alias Sharmila Pathan – were also shot dead.

In a press statement issued by the Sindh Rangers on Thursday, the paramilitary force announced that it had killed three militants associated with the TTP, al-Qaeda and Daesh (Islamic State), all of whom were said to have been involved in a number of terrorist activities. 

Of the three militants, Salman alias Yasir, according to the Rangers, carried out attacks on security forces in the Swat valley in 2008 and even took four personnel hostage. He was also involved in planning the November attack on the Rangers headquarters in North Nazimabad and the killing of three Rangers personnel.

Besides carrying out the attack on Jan, Salman was also involved in killing 10 other people, including police personnel and political activists, the Rangers claimed.