Special team probing Karsaz blasts still groping in the dark

No clue to culprits found; Musharraf, others yet to record statements

The special team formed by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah last year to conduct a fresh inquiry into the twin Karsaz blasts of October 18, 2007, has been struggling to make headway, with earlier investigations offering nothing concrete. 

The two massive bomb blasts had hit a rally that the Pakistan Peoples Party had organised to welcome its chairperson and former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, on her return to Pakistan after more than eight years of self-exile.

The terror attack had left 149 people dead and over 400 others wounded. The majority of the victims were PPP workers, who had been moving along with Bhutto’s motorcade.

Nine years later, visiting the Karsaz monument for the slain workers on October 18, 2016, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah announced the formation of a special team to re-investigate the carnage. He lamented that an investigation into the attack could not take place “properly”.

“This delay is because of the conspiracy under which the evidence of the incident was removed instantly, but it doesn’t mean that the investigation cannot be made further. Yes, I will do it again as PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has issued instructions to me for this purpose,” he said.

Later, the government formed an investigation team that includes the additional inspector general (AIG) of the Police Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Sanaullah Abbasi, and the senior superintendent police (SSP) intelligence of the CTD, Omer Shahid Hamid.

Talking to The News, SSP Omer Shahid Hamid said that after the Karsaz blasts, an FIR was lodged at Bahadurabad Police Station. He said some investigations had been carried out, but no arrest had been made so far.

He said the CTD had issued notices to former president and retired General Pervez Musharraf and others for recording theirs statements, but they had yet to do so. 

Two days before her homecoming, Benazir Bhutto had also written a letter to then president Musharraf about threats to her life.

SSP Hamid added that they were also going through the investigations carried out by different teams formed from time to time to ascertain facts.

Sharing some investigation details, he said that at 00:10 hours when the truck carrying the ex-prime minister crossed the Karsaz Flyover on October 18, 2007, the first blast took place on the left side of the vehicle between a police mobile (No.SP-6510) and a private vehicle (Mini Pajero -- AFR-2007). The mobile was hit by 260 pellets and the private vehicle was pierced by 97 ball bearings.

The brunt of the blast was absorbed by the police mobile, thus preventing serious damage to the truck. The first blast also damaged a Santro car (No. AKR-477) and another police mobile (SP-6501). These vehicles were hit by 419 and 33 ball bearings/pallets respectively. Bhutto’s truck was hit by 265 ball bearings.

After a lapse of about one minute, the second blast took place. The first blast was of less intensity, but the second explosion was of much greater intensity and caused the maximum damage. 

The attack killed more than 149 persons, including seven police officials, dead and injured 402 persons, including 44 police officials. Most fatalities and injuries were caused by steel pellets/ball bearings. The ball bearings were of 6mm diameter.

Investigations 

On October 19, 2007, an FIR was registered by the SHO of Bahadurabd Police Station on behalf of the state. The then provincial police officer (PPO) of Sindh constituted an investigation team and appointed the DIG Investigation, later replaced by the CID’s DIG on October 24, 2007, to supervise the inquiry.  The crime scene was thoroughly inspected by the investigation team, assisted by the Bomb Disposal Unit of the Special Branch.

The possibility of explosives installed in any vehicle was ruled out because both the private vehicles were burnt and no evidence of explosion inside was found.

A striker sleeve was recovered from the crime scene, which is specifically used by suicide bombers as a manual triggering mechanism to detonate explosive jackets. 

A reward of Rs5 million had been notified by the Sindh government for providing information leading to the arrest of the criminals. Nobody has so far identified the severed heads of the two suicide bombers.

Samples from severed heads and other unidentified bodies were obtained for DNA profiling/matching and sent to the KIBGE (Karachi Institute of Biological Engineering). Unidentified bodies and 16 bags containing human remains/body parts were preserved at the Edhi Centre for DNA testing and identification and later buried in Garhi Khuda Bakjsh in April 2008. 

DNA test results 

Three tissue (brain, face and head) samples of the reconstructed head were sent to the KIBGE, Islamabad, for confirmation of DNA profiling.

The DNA profile generated from each tissue sample was different from each other. Thus, both the results conclusively indicate that the three tissues belong to three individuals

Material evidence collected from the scene of crime, its corroboration by video footage and account of eyewitnesses strongly indicate that the explosions were the result of two suicide bombings. This conclusion is also supported by FIA’s (SIG) and other intelligence agencies.

The Karsaz attack was latest of the 9th suicide bombings that occurred in Karachi between 2002 and 2006. All the previous eight suicide bombing cases have been successfully solved and the culprits arrested by the Sindh Police.

Who was involved? 

Investigators say there is strong likelihood of the involvement of the following terrorist organizations, which had carried out suicide bombings in Karachi between 2002 and 2007: the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (involved in five suicide attacks), Harkat-ul-Mujahideen Al-Aalmi (involved in two suicide blasts), Al-Qaeda-Qari Zafar Group (involved in one incident), Al-Qaeda-Baituallah Mahsud Group, and hostile foreign agencies/misc. groups.

Extensive raids were conducted to apprehend members of the proscribed terrorist organisations. Some suspects have also been rounded up. The Sindh Police remain in close contact with other provinces and intelligence agencies.

The Sindh Police arrested one suspect, Qari Saifullah Akhtar, in March 2008, who happens to be the Ameer of the defunct Harkat-e-Jehad-e-Islami in the instant case on the basis of his name that was included in Benazir Bhutto’s book. Another seven suspects – Raheemullah, Abdul Samad, Amir Nawaz, Muhammad Shafique, Amjid Hussain, Farooq Azim and Muhammad Nadir -- were arrested in June 2008. However, in spite of thorough interrogations, no clue to their involvement was found.

SSP Omer Shahid Hamid said they were still looking into the case files to get concrete results and arrest the terrorists involved in the carnage.