ATC judge irked by suspects’ absence at consulate attack case hearing

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) sought explanation from the jail authorities on Saturday for not producing five suspects incarcerated for their alleged involvement in the attack on the Chinese consulate.

Expressing displeasure over the suspects’ absence at the hearing, the ATC-II judge issued show-cause notice to the Central Jail Karachi superintendent, directing him to submit a response by February 27.

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has already chargesheeted Ali Ahmed, alias Hashim, Ahmed Hasnain, Muhammad Aslam, Nadir Khan, alias Baladi, and Abdul Latif in the case, accusing them of being alleged facilitators of the militants who carried out the attack on the Chinese consulate in Clifton on November 23, 2018.

Four people, including two policemen and a father-son duo, were killed in the consulate attack besides the three attackers.

According to investigators, the attack was carried out by a Baloch separatist group, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which was supported by Indian spy agency RAW. The attack intended to harm the relations between Pakistan and China and damaging their working relationship regarding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The CTD claimed that the suspects provided transport, medical facilities, accommodation, weapons and explosives to the attackers, identified as Abdul Razzaq, Raees Baloch and Azal Baloch, and also did reconnaissance of the consulate.

Besides the arrested suspects, self-exiled leader of BLA Hyrbyair Marri and 14 others have been nominated in the interim charge sheet.

According to the police, the suspects were arrested in a raid conducted on a tip-off in the Taiser Town neighborhood on January 11 and arms, ammunition and explosives were found from their possession. The arrested men were initially booked at the Gulshan-e-Maymar police station in five cases pertaining to Section 23(1)(G) of the Sindh Arms Act and Section 4/5 of the Explosives Substances Act.