Lahore blast facilitator’s house razed in Bajaur; father, brothers arrested

The Frontier Constabulary and the Fata political administration razed the house of the suspected facilitator of the Lahore blast and arrested his father and two brothers from Bajaur on Monday.

The measures were taken in accordance with the Frontier Crimes Regulations’ (FCR) territorial responsibility clause, which states that for any mishap, the administration can take the community or family members of the perpetrator to task and punish them under a collective responsibility clause.

SSP Operations Zahid Gondal of Punjab Police and DIG Traffic Lahore Capt (retd) Ahmad Mobin were among the 13 people killed in the attack, which also left at least 85 injured.

The Jamat-ul-Ahrar had claimed responsibility for the attack.

The suspect was arrested after video evidence placed him in the area of the blast, walking along with the suspected suicide bomber that blew himself on Mall Road near the Punjab Assembly amid a protest.

In his confessional statement, shared by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in a media briefing on Feb 17, the suspect had said he hailed from a remote village in the Bajaur Agency.

“I was associated with Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and they trained me,” the suspect said, adding that he had visited Afghanistan around 15 to 20 times.

Source: Dawn