Daily Times

Gunmen armed with grenades attacked the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi on Monday in a bid to take hostages, martyring two guards and a policeman before security forces killed all four of the attackers, security officials said.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility in a post on Twitter. Senior counter-terrorism official Raja Umar Khattab also verified the claim. The group also circulated to the media a photograph of four men in full body armor and camouflage outfits, saying they were the militants who attacked the stock exchange.

“They had come to carry out an attack inside the building and take hostages inside,” Sindh Rangers Director General Major General Omer Bukhari told media, adding all attackers had been killed within eight minutes.

Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon said the gunmen attacked with grenades and guns after pulling up in a silver car. Two guards and a policeman were killed and seven people were wounded, Deputy Inspector General of Police Sharjil Kharal told media. There were no reports of any wounded among the brokers and employees inside the exchange

A counter-terrorism official said the attackers were carrying significant quantities of ammunition and grenades in backpacks. “We locked ourselves in our offices,” said Asad Javed, who works at a brokerage in the stock exchange building, which is in a high security zone that also houses the head offices of several banks. Javed said he was on the ground floor when he heard gunfire and an explosion and people scattered for safety. Broker Yaqub Memon said he and others were huddled inside their offices while the attack was underway. As the firing ended and the gunmen were killed, police gathered all the employees and brokers in a single room while security forces went floor by floor to ensure that no explosives had been left behind, he said.

Shazia Jehan, a police spokesman, said the bomb disposal team was also called to the stock exchange to clear the building of any explosive devises.

Local television stations broadcast images of police in full body armor surrounding the building but still staying outside the high-walled compound of the stock exchange. Rizwan Ahmend, a police official at the scene, said that after opening fire, the gunmen entered the stock exchange grounds. He said that after the attack was over, food supplies were found on the bodies of the gunmen, indicating they may have planned a long siege, which police quickly thwarted.

Gen Bukhari said that the attack could not have been carried out without the support of ‘hostile intelligence agencies’ and that India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is one of their primary suspects. “But at the moment we have to collect evidence to establish the supporters,” he said, adding that the attack bore the same hallmarks as the Chinese Consulate attack, with the level of coordination and a large ammunition stockpile found at the scene.

Police and Rangers found more than a dozen hand grenades, boxes of ammunition and several automatic rifles that the attackers had brought to the stock exchange.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on National Security Moeed Yusuf said the attack was sponsored by hostile foreign elements. Qureshi said the clues of terrorist attack are leading towards India’s activated sleeper cells. He said he had already warned after North Waziristan terrorist attack that India could activate its sleeper cells in Pakistan. However, he said, the country’s law enforcement agencies are ever vigilant to counter any such attempt. He said India cannot tolerate peace in Pakistan. “As we are set to open Kartarpur Corridor, India at the same time is making attempts to disrupt law and order situation in Pakistan,” he added.

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa paid glowing tributes to the security guards of Pakistan Stock Exchange who sacrificed their lives as first responders by vigilantly checking the terrorists’ entry to the building. Appreciating the law enforcement agencies for their operational readiness, the COAS lauded prompt, effective and integrated response of Pakistan Rangers and Sindh police, eliminating terrorists in the shortest possible time. “With the support of our resilient nation, we will foil all efforts of enemies aimed at destabilizing the hard earned peace achieved through sacrifices of our martyrs,” he added. agencies