9 martyred, 28 injured in Peshawar terrorist attack

PESHAWAR: Nine people were martyred, while 28 others sustained injuries when three militants attacked the Directorate General of Agriculture sited opposite the University of Peshawar and Islamia College University on Friday morning.
The building that was attacked houses offices and two hostels of the Agriculture Institute and Pakistan Housing Authority. Officials said the attackers wearing burqas arrived in a rickshaw with fake registration plate and tampered chassis number. It was learnt that the attackers first took out the watchman identified as Abdul Hameed and then barged into one of the two hostels inside the building from where most of the students had left for home for the long weekend.
The police and Army commandoes arrived at the spot within a few minutes to take on the attackers at the hostel inside the Directorate General of Agriculture building. The encounter continued for quite some time before the three attackers were killed.
The martyrs were identified as Abdul Hameed, students Qasim Ali belonging to Dir, Bilal Ahmad hailing from Shangla, Amin Khan from Bannu, Abdul Hadi from Kohistan, Bilal from Dir, Bilal Arif from Oghi, Waseem Khan from Orakzai Agency and Sarzameen from Buner. The condition of wounded journalist Raham Yousafzai, two police officers, two soldiers and others was stated to be out of danger. The bullets from Raham Yousafzai’s body have been removed by the surgeons and his condition is stable.
“Police responded to the attack within three to five minutes. The Army troops also arrived in time. With excellent coordination, the law-enforcers managed to minimise the casualties,” Inspector General of Police Salahuddin Mehsud told reporters.
He added that armoured personnel carrier was sent to evacuate the students and others. The IGP said the cops and soldiers fought the attackers and simultaneously evacuated the trapped people.
“We are sorry over the loss of life. Nine students embraced martyrdom in the attack. Two police officers, two Army officers and one journalist were wounded,” he said.
Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Muhammad Tahir and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Sajjad Khan armed with machineguns led the operation. “Instead of wasting time on wearing uniform I rushed to the spot in whatever I was wearing to supervise the operation and boost morale of my men. The CCPO too was on the spot like a soldier,” said Sajjad Khan.
Investigators recovered two suicide jackets, 17 hand-grenades, three Kalashnikov rifles with several magazines and other explosives after the operation ended on Friday.
Eyewitnesses said they were asleep in their rooms when the firing started so they ran for life. Arif, a student, said he and other friends ran for life but two of them were hit by bullets. They shifted their friends to hospital amid firing.
Another eyewitness said most of the students had left for their hometowns due to long weekend or else the number of casualties would have been higher. The students lodged at hostels are doing courses for diploma in agricultural sciences.
The IGP told reporters the militants no more had any hideout in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata as their backbone had been broken and the marked decrease in terror attack in recent years was its proof. Salahuddin Mehsud said that 419 militants were arrested during the current year. He said that 376,965 houses were checked during the ongoing year all over the province to deny shelter to criminals and terrorists. He added that 11,492 cases were lodged against tenants for incomplete documents.
Lauding the police and Army for conducting a successful operation against the terrorists during the Friday’s attack, Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak said the law-enforcers were alert to respond timely in case of any mishap.
He appreciated police officers for supervising the operation personally and said the KP Police had become more professional in recent years. Pervaiz Khattak visited the hospital to enquire after the health of those who were injured in the attack.
He told reporters at hospital that the scourge of terrorism could be ended provided Pakistan and Afghanistan evolved and implemented a joint strategy.
The PTI chief Imran Khan and other politicians lauded the police for the prompt response to the attack.
However, some people on the social media criticised the police and other agencies and termed the attack the result of a security lapse.
The leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, a coalition partner of the PTI in KP’s provincial government, were among those who criticised the federal and provincial governments.
“The occurrence of two major attacks in Peshawar within eight days speaks volumes about the poor law and order. The federal and provincial governments need to shun political differences and work for the restoration of peace,” JI Peshawar district head Sabir Hussain Awan told a meeting on Saturday.
The occurrence of two major terror attacks in Peshawar within a period of just eight days has set the alarm bells ringing for the government and its law-enforcement agencies.
Investigators on Saturday remained busy collecting evidence from the Agricultural Training Institute as they started probing Friday’s attack. High-level meetings were held on Friday and Saturday in the wake of the recent attacks to discuss measures to tighten security in a bid to avert more attacks.
Intelligence-based operations are expected to take place in the coming days after the recent attacks in Peshawar and other parts of the country. Friday’s attack was the second in the city within eight days after Additional Inspector General of Police Muhammad Ashraf Noor was martyred in a suicide bombing in Hayatabad town in Peshawar on November 24.
Agencies add: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor has said Afghan soil was used for terrorist attack in Peshawar.
Talking to a private television channel, he said the TTP terrorists were in contact with their leadership in Afghanistan whereas all the evidence has been forwarded to DGMO Afghanistan. “Afghan Director General Military Operations (DGMO) is currently visiting Pakistan and the evidences of TTP sanctuaries (in Afghanistan) were handed over to him,” the DG ISPR said.
He said the TTP leadership has taken shelter in Afghanistan. “We have substantial evidences to provide Afghan authorities about sanctuaries in the neighbouring country,” he said. Asif Ghafoor urged the Afghan government to preserve peace and order in their country.
Shedding light on operation continued for around two hours, he commended Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police for their timely response and competency. Asif Ghafoor maintained that the police took effective measures while initiating the operation as the loss could have been maximised if there had been any negligence.
President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Minister of State for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb and other leaders strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Peshawar.
In their separate statements, they expressed their sympathy for the bereaved families and prayed for the early recovery of the injured.
They also lauded the effective operation launched by the security forces against the terrorist activity and resolved that the residues of the terrorism would be curbed soon.