Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Security forces have arrested four facilitators who helped terrorists enter Pakistan from Afghanistan via Torkham border and reach the target, Bacha Khan University.

Talking to newsmen here Saturday, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa gave details about the progress in investigation in the Bacha Khan University attack, which has claimed at least 21 lives.

“We have arrested four facilitators, who helped the attackers enter Pakistan and then took them to Mardan,” he said. The main facilitator (code named Target A), who received and made arrangements for clearance of attackers at Torkham border check-post, had not yet been arrested and intelligence-based operations were continue to nab him, he added.

The DG ISPR said the attack on the university was planned and controlled from Afghanistan as the phone call of Omer Mansoor, who later claimed responsibility, was made from Afghanistan.

Omer Mansoor and his deputy Qari Zakir were making calls to attackers from Afghanistan and on the day of attack around 10 calls were made from a location from across the border, he added.

He said Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif had conveyed this intelligence-based information with the Afghan president later.

Lt Gen Bajwa also played the audio recording of a phone call made by Omer Mansoor to a Peshawar-based journalist while claiming responsibility of the attack.

The phone number from which Omer Mansoor called the journalist was identified on CLI (Caller Line Identification) as 0093774021675.

Producing the facilitators before media, he said one of them was Adil, a mason by profession who recently did some masonry work at Bacha Khan University and later drafted the map of the premises for the attackers. He kept the attackers at his home in Mardan and briefed them about the map of the university, the DG ISPR added.

He said two other facilitators, including Riaz and Noorullah, young people from Mardan, hired a rickshaw and took the attackers from Mardan to Bacha Khan University in Charsadda District.

The fourth facilitator, he said, was son of Adil, who knew the plan and helped his father in the whole process.

He said the main facilitator (Target A) took help of his wife and niece in purchasing ammunition for attackers from Darra Adam Khel. The two women went to Darra Adam Khel and brought the ammunition while concealing in their burqas (veil), he added.

The ‘Target A’, his wife and niece were now on the run and would soon be arrested as the hunt for them was going on, he said.

About the identity of attackers, the DG ISPR said one attacker had been identified as Amir Rehman, who hailed from South Waziristan Agency while identification of the remaining three was in progress.

Responding to a question, he said investigation about financing to the facilitators and attackers was in the process and added, “As we get credible information, it will be shared with media.”

The DG ISPR urged the people to extend cooperation to the security forces in the fight against terrorism since their role was very important in winning the war. He said the operation Zarb-e-Azb was progressing successfully and the security forces were fully vigilant. He added that additional steps were required in that regard.

The DG ISPR said that at no point had the Afghan government been blamed for the attack. “We only said that the attacked was planned and handled from Afghan soil.”

To another question about border management with Afghanistan, he said the issue was under consideration and a lot of measures had already been taken. “Humanly it is not possible to seal the 2700-kilometer long border, but we are working to stop border crossing by terrorists.”