Daily Times

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Tuesday produced the alleged mastermind of the Karachi University suicide bombing before an anti-terrorism court (ATC). The suspect was netted by the CTD with the technical assistance of other law enforcement agencies (LEAs) on Monday. The CTD police informed the judge that the suspect was a commander of separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Federation-Karachi (BLF) and the mastermind of attack on the Chinese teachers outside the KU’s Confucius Institute in April this year.

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said the suspect, Dad Bakhsh, was arrested from Mauripur Road, Hawkesbay. He said the suspect made major revelations during the interrogation. The suspect joined BLF in 2013 and led several attacks on the security forces in Balochistan.

He said the suspect fled to a neighboring country in 2017 after being exposed and came back to Karachi later.

The suspect said the KU blast was a joint terrorist activity by the BLF and BLA, the minister said.

Memon said the suspect was a commander of BLF sleeper cell in Karachi and had been surveying different targets as per the directives of BLA Commander Khalil Baloch. These targets included sensitive installations and Chinese teachers, he said, says a news report. Memon said the suspect revealed that he met Shari’s husband Haibtan and another dangerous terrorist named Zaib, who he said was the mastermind of the KU attack. “Bakhsh entered Pakistan through a neighboring country and started living with Haibtan and Shari in their Delhi Colony flat,” Memon said.

He said the suspect fled to Balochistan on the orders of Khalil Baloch after the attack, while Zeb was at the university at the time of the attack. “He entered KU before Shari and exited immediately after the blast,” Memon quoted the suspect as saying during interrogations.

The minister further stated that the suspect revealed that Zaib trained him in making IEDs at Majeed Brigade headquarters at the BLA and BLF camp in the ‘neighboring country’.

He said the LEAs and CTD had made progress in the case together and more leads will follow soon.

Memon also informed the media about extraordinary findings of the probe including increase in the use of women and children in terrorist activities, efforts to make women and students an agent of the terrorist organizations, efforts to create chaos in the society and declare Pakistan a failed state by fueling reactions against specific communities, and training of youngsters and exploitation of psychologically insecure women. The case of Shari is under study by psychological experts which found that Shari was also exploited psychologically. On Monday, a 13-member Chinese delegation led by China’s counter-terrorism deputy director-general, GaoFei, met Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Sindh Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon. The officials discussed the security of Chinese nationals working in the province and progress in investigation in the suicide bombing.

In April, four people, including three Chinese nationals, were killed, while four others sustained injuries in a car explosion on the premises of the University of Karachi. According to the CTD, it was a suicide bombing carried out by a burqa-clad woman, who was later identified as Shari Baloch. The deceased Chinese nationals were identified as the director of the Confucius Institute Huang Guiping, Ding Mupeng, Chen Sai, and their Pakistani driver, Khalid. Police sources said the van entered the premises through the Maskan gate of the university.

Memon said all terrorists who join such organizations and try to destabilize Pakistan with the help of other countries “want to stop foreign investment from coming in”. “Work is underway on different projects.

Important schemes such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are underway with the help of brotherly nations like China. These terrorist organizations, with their nefarious designs and a foreign agenda, want to destabilize the country. They want to give the message that Pakistan is not safe for foreign investment.”

He vowed that terrorist organizations trying to create unrest would be eliminated by the country’s security agencies. Responding to a question, Memon said that the terrorists involved in the attack had foreign assistance but it would not be apt to name at country involved at this stage as the investigation was still ongoing. “But whichever country is involved […] our work is to trace and give strict punishment to those involved and give the message that nobody can cast a dirty eye on Pakistan.” He said that the country in question would be conveyed a message at the government level in line with diplomatic norms that their land was being used for terrorist activities. “I don’t think it is appropriate to name any country,” he said.