‘Not all attacks on police since 2018 were acts of terrorism’

Sindh’s counterterrorism officials investigating the attacks on policemen in Karachi told The News on Wednesday that while terrorists were behind most of the incidents, there were a few cases in which no direct involvement of any banned organisation was found.

Raja Umer Khattab, who heads the Transnational Terrorists Intelligence Group of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), said that nine policemen have been martyred in the city since January 2018.

Talking about the attacks on policemen, Khattab said police constable Shakir was targeted by helmeted motorcyclists last January near Landi Kotal Chowrangi in North Nazimabad while on his way from Orangi Town to work at the Gulberg police station.

He added that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) later claimed responsibility for the attack and also released the video of the incident, saying that PC Shakir was targeted by their Special Task Force (STF).

He said that according to the modus operandi of the STF, they were provided with complete recce information on the target by the TTP, following which they attacked their target and provided video evidence of the incident to their commanders.

He added that the STF terrorists were well-trained and took long breaks between their attacks by going underground or leaving the city, adding that their terrorism had been witnessed in Karachi and Quetta.

Khattab said that the same terrorists targeted a traffic policeman at Abul Hasan Isphahani Road, following which they took away his MP5 submachine gun with them.

He added that the CTD then expanded their intelligence network and busted the terrorists’ network, which was operating out of Ibrahim Hyderi, by killing all the STF men in a shootout.

He said that on August 11 another traffic policeman, namely PC Arshad Ali, came under attack in the SITE Super Highway police jurisdiction, where his assailants opened fire on him and took away his 9mm pistol with them. He added that the cop was apparently injured by a criminal group.

The CTD officer said that on October 3 Sub-Inspector Muhammad Rafiq was martyred and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Abdul Hakeem injured in an attack in the SITE Super Highway police precincts. He said that two terrorists were involved in the attack and that they had fired over 18 bullets.

Khattab said that on October 8 PC Syed Ahmed Abbas was targeted in New Karachi on his way back from a bank with his father, adding that 30-bore pistols were used in the attack. He said the attack was apparently carried out by a gang of dacoits, but since the cop was also a witness in cases of a sectarian nature, he could have been attacked by a sectarian group.

The CTD officer said that this year’s first attack on the police happened on January 21, when PC Ehtasham was targeted in the Soldier Bazaar area on his way to work. He added that the forensic examination of the bullets matched with the attack on two brothers who were killed in a robbery in Korangi on June 7 last year.

He said that the accused had been arrested but the murder weapon possessed by one Javed Akhtar was not recovered, adding that Akhtar was later arrested in an injured condition and taken to the Jinnah Hospital.

Khattab said that Akhtar fled from the hospital with his wife, but a joint investigation team of the Sindh Rangers later arrested both of them and two others as well as confiscated the weapon used in the murders.

He said that on March 2 PC Jehangir was targeted in Hijrat Colony, Civil Lines by two men, adding that the investigations revealed that the cop had attempted to stop a couple of robbers but he was attacked by them.

The CTD officer said that on March 4 ASI Rizwan of the Iqbal Market police station was targeted by two men on motorbike, adding that it was an act of terrorism and the weapon used in the attack was a 9mm pistol that did not match with any previous attack.

He said that on March 9 another attack on a policeman occurred in the Iqbal Market area, where four men opened fire on PC Abid and martyred him, adding that he was hit in the head and the murder weapon in this case also did not match with any previous attack.

Khattab said that not all attacks on police officials were acts of terrorism, but in the case of the few that were, the CTD’s investigations were focusing on three groups: the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s militant wing and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent.