JIT formed to probe Data Darbar attack

LAHORE: The Punjab Home Department has constituted a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the suicide attack occurring at Data Darbar on Wednesday.

The JIT would consist of representatives of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB), and conduct investigation into the attack. The case was registered under FIR No 11/19 under sections 302/ 324/ 353/ 186/ 34/ 427/ 109/ 120-B PPC, ESA, 7-ATA, 1997 by the Police Station CTD, Lahore.

CTD Lahore SP Sohaib Ashraf will be the convener, and CTD Lahore Investigation Officer Inspector Muhammad Khalid will be a member of the JIT. According to a notification, the JIT convener would depute one of the JIT members for submission of the report under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1898, as required under Section 19(I) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

Meanwhile, officials of the sensitive agencies reportedly found a clue to the tragic incident and arrested five facilitators of Data Darbar suicide attack from Garhi Shahu area on Friday. They were shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation. According to sources, one Asad Abbasi had got a place on rent in Garhi Shahu area where he was running a tea stall. The suicide bomber had been living at the tea stall premises. During the operation, five facilitators including Asad Abbasi and Shahid were arrested. The agencies also traced the motorcycle rickshaw driver, who dropped the suicide bomber at Data Darbar on the day of incident. The facilitators had carried out a comprehensive recce of the area before setting their target. The CTD team collected footage of the facilitators while carrying out recce of the shrine area and leaving the place at around 6am.

Agencies add: The suspects had taken the rickshaw from near railway station. Video footage showed that the rickshaw driver approached the bomber who had come from Garhi Shahu area. The law-enforcement agencies said they were focusing on three major terrorist networks of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Punjab to uncover handlers' facilitators. A senior police officer said two high profile teams had been assigned the task to go after three offshoots of the TTP and their facilitators. He said the focus was mainly on Hizbul Ahrar, which had claimed the responsibility for sending the teenage suicide bomber to Data Darbar. The official said the probe was being conducted along the lines of the 2017 The Mall blast investigation, in which the LEAs had successfully arrested the facilitator, who had dropped the suicide bomber near the target site a few minutes before the blast.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the suicide blast rose to 12, as another victim succumbed to his wounds at Mayo Hospital on Friday. The martyred was identified as Mudassar, 19, a resident of Lohari Gate area. Police handed over the body to the heirs after autopsy.