Lahore terror attack
Says end of cancerous terrorism, its ideology near;
CTD chief tells him that 12 terrorism plots foiled in 2016, 231 terrorists killed and 769 arrested; investigators say three facilitators assisted bomber, will be captured soon; funeral prayers of police officials offered
LAHORE: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said the war on terror would be taken to its logical end, adding, “No one should think that we will stumble in this struggle due to such terror attacks”.
The prime minister said, “Swift, ruthless and successful response is the only option for us,” adding, “We will soon see the end of this cancerous terrorism and its ideology.”
He was chairing a meeting in the backdrop of Monday’s Charing Cross terrorist attack, which was attended by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, national security adviser and others.
The prime minister said the army and other military and civil law enforcement agencies had given matchless sacrifices to achieve a great success in the war. “Our enemies would be defeated by our national resolve. Wiping out terrorism is our national duty,” he pledged.
“Neither I nor this nation will forget the sacrifices of our valiant police officers and officials. This is a war of right and wrong and we as a nation are on the right side of history in this war. We will soon see the end of this cancerous terrorism and its ideology,” he added.
He was briefed by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) AIG Rai Tahir who said the CCTV footage had helped in speeding up the investigations into the terror attack.The CTD chief told the meeting that 12 terrorism plots were disrupted in 2016, while 231 terrorists had been killed and 769 arrested.
The meeting was told that the CTD and Punjab Police, with the government support, would take revenge from the terrorists as soon as possible. “Our fallen heroes have given the ultimate sacrifice and we will not let ourselves and our nation down.”
The prime minister, who was accompanied by senior aides, also visited the residence of martyred DIG Capt (retd) Ahmad Mobin in RA Bazaar to express sympathies and condolences with the bereaved family.
The prime minister and the chief minister paid homage to his services and said the nation would never forget the sacrifice of a dutiful and brave officer.Shahbaz said the martyrdom of Capt (retd) Mobin was an irreparable loss for the country and the nation. “He was a brave son of the nation and the entire nation is proud of his sacrifice,” said the chief minister.
On the other hand, an initial report on the latest attack was presented to the chief minister.The investigators on Tuesday reconstructed the scene of the Charing Cross suicide attack with the help of CCTV footage and collected further forensic evidence to trace out the network of terrorists operating in the provincial metropolis.
The skull and a finger of the bomber recovered from the blast scene have been sent toPunjab Forensic Science Agency for his identification. The CTD has also registered an FIR on the complaint of CTD Lahore SHO Abid Baig.
During the initial probe, the investigators believe that four terrorists had headed towards the Punjab Assembly from Regal Chowk. Three of them had fled the scene when the law enforcement agencies tried to stop them. However, the suicide bomber managed to sneak through and exploded his suicide jacket.
Contrary to the claim made by the CTD, the terrorist had reached the scene unhindered and accomplished his task. Some of the footages also show his facilitators guiding him throughout the way. The identification and arrest of three terrorist-cum-facilitators is big challenge for the law enforcement agencies.
The investigators from intelligence agencies accompanied by the police revisited the incident and collected CCTV footage of cameras installed at and around the Punjab Assembly. The newly-installed cameras of Safe Cities Authority also captured the blast scene which according to the investigators would help in identifying the terrorists.
The skull and other parts of the bomber and his sketch prepared by investigators resembled the picture issued by the spokesperson of the banned Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. Later on, the crime scene was washed and damaged vehicles removed so that road could be reopened for traffic.
A senior CTD official said the facilitators of the bomber would be traced out soon with the help of CCTV footage and call records narrowed in through geo-fencing. He added that comprehensive combing operations had also been launched to arrest suspected terrorists planning to target sensitive installations and educational institutions.
He said the two suspects taken into custody from the Charing Cross soon after the incident were also under interrogation.The CTD official said the claim of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar would also be cross-checked through the DNA test of the suspect, fingerprints and arrest of his facilitators.
Meanwhile, the police along with the intelligence agencies conducted combing operations and took over 50 suspected Afghan nationals into custody. They also searched inns, hotels and guesthouses.
Security agencies were put on a red alert to avert any further untoward incident and security of police officials at their offices and residences had also been beefed up.
Punjab Home Minister Rana Sanaullah, talking to the media, said the police, not the protesters, were the target.
Earlier in the day, the funeral prayers of the martyred police officials DIG Mobin, SSP Zahid Gondal, ASI Ameen, Head Constable Asmatullah, Constable Nadeem Tanveer and CTD constables Aslam and Irfan Mehmood were offered at the Police Training Centre, Bedian Road.
The chief minister, Lahore corps commander, Punjab IGP, other high-ranking officials, family members of the martyrs and a large number of citizens attended the funeral prayers.
The chief minister also visited the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and inquired after the health of civilians and police officials injured in the attack.
Talking to the injured, Shahbaz said the entire nation was fighting against the terrorists and the struggle would continue till their complete elimination.
The injured police officials said they were ready to give the greatest sacrifice for peace in the country and their determination and morale were high.
They assured the chief minister that they were standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him in the fight against terrorism and would shed the last drop of blood in the defence of the country.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government announced Rs1.5 million as compensation amount for the martyred policemen.
