Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: A terror bid to blow up 14 schools in district Jhang was foiled due to timely action by the Pakistan Army and the facilitators and planners of this bid were apprehended.

Had the Army not taken timely action, an enormous disaster could have overtaken the area. The parents are still scared in sending their children to schools despite timely action by the Army.

According to an investigation conducted by Daily Times, the anti-state elements had given targets to Afghan nationals settled in the area of Akrawala since the last three decades to target seven schools operating in the area.

These Afghans hired the services of the poverty stricken locals of the area and tasked them to conduct the blasts with explosive material at the seven schools and theshrine of Hazrat Shah Zinda on the eve of the Urs. Their bid was foiled due to timely action by the Army.

According to police claims, the elements responsible for this terror incident have been arrested and investigations at large scale are under way against them. Some terrorists have been sent to jail. But it looks a remote possibility that the real terrorists will be nabbed and brought and to justice owing to poor investigation and corruption in the police departments.

According to a report the Afghan nationals living in Akrawala area tempted and persuaded the local population, who are Muslim Sheikhs by caste, to conduct an explosion at the Urs of Zinda Pir in return for a huge amount.

These poor people who are residents of Kolar village placed a plastic bucket packed with explosive material in the precinct of the Shah Zinda shrine. But it could not explode. One Qaisar took this bucket to his home which exploded with a big bang killing the lonely son of Qaisar on the spot.

Qadir Pur police was informed about this blast but it started making efforts to shelve the incident due to its traditional slackness and negligence of duty. The Pakistan Army and law enforcement agencies took notice of the incident and started investigating the matter on their own. With the help of forensic laboratory reports, security agencies gained access to those who had brought the bucket of explosive material to the shrine of Shah Zinda and took the responsible persons into custody.

The locals told Daily Times that more seven buckets full of explosive material were recovered by the security agencies which were taken into custody by them.

Police told Daily Times that those behind this terror incident are Afghan nationals Zarq Khan and his sons who are settled in the area for the last three decades and are owners of brick kilns.

These Afghanis plotted a major terror attack by using the poor people of the area which has been foiled due to the timely action of the law enforcement agencies.

Assistant Commissioner Jhang Shahid told Daily Times that it was a toy-like explosive material and one person was killed following its explosion. Rs 300000 have been paid to the family members of the victim. He declined to provide more details saying it was the responsibility of the local police.

The in charge of the security branch of Jhang Police Habib, told Daily Times that the responsible persons had been arrested. Telling more than this about this incident is not allowed. The DSP City Jhang can tell more about this incident. He provided the DSP city’s phone number. When contacted, it came to the knowledge of Daily Times that this number was powered off long before.

The Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif has not appointed a District Police Officer (DPO) for the last two months despite these terror related activities.

The Assistant Commissioner Jhang said that the powers for restoring the law and order situation rested with the police following the implementation of 18th Constitutional Amendment. Magistracy powers had been withdrawn from the DMG.

The local dignitaries told Daily Times that the terrorists wanted to target the government high school Kot Essa Shah, government girls high school Kot Essa Shah, government high school Long Shumali, primary school Pind Saiden Hazrat, Shah Zinda Bokhari and private english medium schools and wanted to cause disaster in the area. But timely action by the Army thwarted this bid.

The local population told Daily Times that the terror bid had been foiled but security arrangements in the schools were next to nil. Therefore, the people were fearing sending their children to the school.

Jhang is a city of the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sepah-e-Muhamamd and Maulana Haq Nawaz had founded the Sepah-e- Sahaba in this city.

This city remained a victim to religious extremism and sectarianism. The spiritual leader of Pathan and Afghanis, Pir Pathan is also residing in this city and thousands of Pathans who had migrated from tribal areas and Afghan refugees are living in this district.

The local population has demanded that the Pakistan Army should launch a major operation against the terrorists and extremists to cleanse the city from the Afghans who had settled there illegally.