KARACHI: Banned militant outfit – Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed the responsibility for the suspected suicide attack on the District Malir police chief SSP Rao Anwar in Malir Cantt area.
SSP Anwar escaped a suspected suicide attack late on Tuesday night when his convoy came under attacked by assailants as he was heading towards his home in Malir Cantonment area as what the SSP Anwar had claimed that a suicide bomber first hit his armored personnel carrier but he and his squad members remained unhurt while two other attackers were killed in retaliatory fire by police.
This was the third major attack on SSP Anwar within Malir since he has been serving as SSP Malir from the last at least six years.
Two years ago on June 2015, the convoy of SSP Malir came under attack by assailants outside his home in Malir Cantt while all policemen, travelling in the convoy, remained unhurt whereas all attackers were killed in retaliatory fire.
Also on April, 2012, five people were killed and several others were injured in Malir Halt when SSP Malir Rao Anwar’s armoured personnel carrier came under attack in a bomb blast while he was making his way to the Malir court for a meeting with a session judge regarding an inquiry into the murder of former Malir Bar Association president Salahuddin, and his son Ali.
The Malir Cantt police also registered a case under the anti-terrorism section over the attack and initiated further investigations. The registration of the case by the Malir Cantt police caused panic among the senior anti-terror officers who said that the terrorism cases are registered with the Counter-Terrorism Department while this was the first major incident of terrorism of which case is registered with the police station.
The banned militant outfit also issued the image of a suspected attacker while admitting the responsibility of the attack. “This was the third attack by TTP in a current month.
Ismail Afridi, a suicide bomber of the TTP’s TSG group attacked the notorious Rao Anwar in Malir in which several policemen on his squad were killed and injured.
We will continue to kill those who are against the fighters of the Islam like we killed the mastermind of the fake encounters Chaudhry Aslam,” the TTP claimed through social media.
The bodies of the all three attackers were moved to Edhi morgue in Sohrab Goth for identification purpose.
Senior CTD officers said that it happened for the first time when a body of a suicide bomber remained unhurt while he was only burned. The bomb disposal squad even was not called at the site to examine the explosives.
Published in Daily Times, January 18th 2018.