Daily Times

QUETTA: Provincial Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Wednesday claimed that as many as two suspicious suicide attackers were arrested for making plan to target Balochistan Governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai. Addressing a joint press conference with DIG Abdul Razzaq Cheema here, the minister said security forces foiled a terrorist attack in Qilla Abdullah and arrested two terrorists from Gulistan area.

The terrorists, namely Hamid Bashir and Munawar, intended to carry out an attack on Balochistan governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai, he said, adding that the detainees’ terrorists belonged to the group involved in killing of Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada. “The timely action by intelligence agencies and police foiled the terrorists’ suicide attack plot on the governor,” Bugti elaborated, adding that the suspected terrorists had plotted the attack in Afghanistan but timely action saved many lives. The security forces also recovered suicide jackets and weapons from the terrorists’ possession during the operation. Bugti said the provincial government is working on providing foolproof security to officers. Speaking to media, DIG Abdul Razzaq Cheema said church representatives in the province have been assured of security, in a meeting held a day ago.

He said there would be two layers of security and representatives of Christian community have also been asked to provide their own members who would be issued cards by the police. On December 17, nine people were killed and more than 50 were injured in a terrorist attack on Quetta’s Bethel Memorial Church, where Sunday services were being attended by at least 400 people.