CTD on alert in Karachi after Lahore bomb blast

The Counter Terrorism Department’s (CTD) Intelligence Wing has geared up its network in the outskirts of Karachi in view of the Lahore bomb blast claimed by a newly-formed banned nationalist group.

Talking to The News on Saturday, Intelligence Wing chief Raja Umer Khattab said they had already been working upon the banned outfits’ network, and whenever any information was received they carried out raids to arrest suspects. However, after the Lahore’s Anarkali bomb blast, he said, they had consulted with the CTD Lahore and expanded their intelligence network in the outskirts of Karachi, especially in Manghopir and areas adjoining Hub River Road and the Balochistan border.

Talking about the Lahore attack and the modus operandi used in it, Khattab opined that the blast seemed to be a part of some banned nationalist group, which was funded by RAW.

Seeing the previous blasts in the city, he said, it seemed the terrorists usually used IEDs (improvised explosive devices) as these funded groups usually targeted the public.

He added that for banned religious outfits, priority was not to target the public; however, in terrorism acts committed by banned religious outfits, mostly members of the public suffered.

Khattab said Lahore’s was a timer or remote-controlled blast and the attack was claimed by newly-formed nationalist separatist group Baloch Nationalist Army (BNA), which was formed in January 11, 2022, through a merger of two groups -- United Baloch Army and Baloch Republican Army -- but they had not announced their leader yet. He said the group’s spokesman was Mureed Baloch and the Lahore blast was the second attack by the organisation, which had committed its first terrorism act in the Kech area of Balochistan a week before the Lahore blast.

CTD Intelligence Wing chief Khattab said that in Karachi no such threat alert was received, but before an alert was received, they had already prepared themselves and started working upon the group. He said other banned Baloch nationalist groups might carry out attacks in different parts of the country to show their presence.