Arrests made in Qalandar shrine probe, but premature to discuss details, says AIG

DADU: Additional Inspector General (AIG) of Counter-Terro­rism Department (CTD) Sanaullah Abbasi has said that cases will be filed against the National Database Registration Authority officials for issuing computerised national identity cards (CNICs) to Afghan nationals.

Most of the Afghans arrested in a province-wide crackdown against illegal immigrants possessed Pakistani CNICs, he said.

The AIG was briefing journalists after presiding over a meeting on progress in the Qalandar shrine blast case and other terrorism activities at the SSP office on Wednesday.

Mr Abbasi confirmed that arrests were being made in all parts of the province in connection with the shrine blast. No further details about the case could be disclosed at this stage as it would compromise the investigation, he said.

‘Cases to be filed against Nadra for issuance of CNICs to Afghan nationals’
About prior information of threats to the Qalandar shrine, he said there were threats to many public places but there was no specific threat of blast at the shrine.

He confirmed recovery of the severed head of the suspected suicide bomber and said the man in the widely aired video clip of CCTV camera was believed to be the suicide bomber. His DNA test, along with fingerprints and DNA test reports of 17 blast victims, would be made public on Thursday, he said.

He said in answer to a question about involvement of the Hafeez Brohi group in the shrine blast that possibility of involvement of the group could not be rejected.

The AIG said that 10 to 15 large shrines including those of Abdullah Shah Ghazi, Sachal Sarmast, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai and Lal Shahbaz Qalandar had been put in ‘A’ category of security plan.

He said that other shrines had been placed in ‘B’ and ‘C’ categories. Personnel of special forces would be deployed at the shrines in ‘A’ category on the pattern of Data Darbar shrine in Lahore. It had been proposed that a DSP would look after security of shrines at district headquarters and an SP would look after security of shrines at CPO Karachi, he said.

He said that investigation so far into blasts and terrorist activities at different places showed connections to Balochistan. The terror suspects had gone to Afghanistan via Balochistan. They were trained in Afghanistan where they stayed for two to three months. The suspects involved in upper Sindh blasts also stayed in Balochistan, he said.

Mr Abbasi said the arrested suspects had disclosed that they had received training in Afghanistan and also stayed in Balochistan. The suspects in Shikarpur blast also stayed in Balochistan before moving on to Afghanistan, he said.

About terrorist activities in Karachi, he said that disclosures of terror suspects arrested after blasts and other terrorism activities in the metropolis had proved involvement of RAW and other foreign agencies in terrorism activities.

He said that terrorist organisations were targeting public places with lax security because it had become difficult for them to target airports, police and military installations because of tough security. Police and law-enforcement agencies were now working in coordination against terrorists and banned organisations, he said.

SSPs of Larkana, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Dadu and Jamshoro, SP of CTD Larkana and ASP of Sehwan also attended the press briefing.

Source: Dawn