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Month/Date
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Incidents
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January 7
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Police arrested five suspected
terrorists from Sargodha. The suspected terrorists belonging to
a defunct group were arrested from the Darima area along with
suicide jackets and explosives. During investigation, they reportedly
confessed that they were involved in the suicide attack at Police
Lines and the Air Force bus, and have also confessed that Chaudhry
Shujaat Hussain had been on their hit list.
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January 10
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At least 24 people, including
17 policemen, were killed and 80 others injured in a suicide bomb
blast outside the Lahore High Court, minutes before the arrival
of an anti-government lawyers’ procession. The blast ripped through
GPO Chowk in front of the Lahore High Court as the suicide bomber
walked up to the about 60 riot police – who had gathered there
ahead of a protest by lawyers against President Pervez Musharraf’s
government – and blew himself up. About 200 lawyers were inside
the High Court at the time of the blast, and others were marching
from a nearby district court.
Army troops have been deployed
in 22 districts of Punjab to protect people and vital installations
during Muharram in view of the security alarm raised by
the suicide bombing. The Rangers will protect important installations
like airports, railway stations, Pakistan Television and radio
offices, Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Governor’s House and civil
secretariat. The overall law and order would be the responsibility
of police and troops would stand by at designated places and could
be called in for assistance in case of an emergency at one-hour
notice, said Home Secretary Khusrao Pervaiz Khan.
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January 14
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Police in the Faisalabad city
arrested 36 suspected terrorists in a search operation following
reports of the presence of suicide bombers in the city. Meanwhile,
caretaker Interior minister Lt General (r) Hamid Nawaz Khan said
that security agencies arrested eight suspected terrorists from
Sargodha and Mianwali. The five men held in Sargodha were involved
in a bomb blast. He said 37 kg explosives had been seized from
one group and 30 kg from the other. Suspects held in Faisalabad
reportedly include people from the tribal areas. Several Afghans
were also detained, but released after they proved their identity.
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January 15
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The police foiled a bid of suicide
attacks at the residences of regional police officer (RPO) and
district police officer (DPO) on University Road beside attacks
on the life of religious leaders and politicians on January 13-night
and arrested six potential suicide bombers in Sargodha. RPO Hamid
Mukhtar Gondal and DPO Waseem Ahmad Sial stated that five suicide
bombers riding on motorbikes were on their way to attack their
residences when police arrested them. Later, the suspects reportedly
led the police to seize 30 kilogram’s of explosives with detonators,
pressure cooker bombs, promo cards, batteries with circuits, wireless
remote control panels, gas cylinder bombs and motorbikes and other
lethal weapons.
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January 16
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The Chakwal police said that they
had arrested a suicide bomber and seized eight kilograms of explosive
material and other bomb devices from him. Chakwal District Police
Officer Maqsood Khan told a press conference that police raided
a house in the Thoha Mehram Khan village and arrested Abdul Ghafoor,
a 23-year-militant with links to the banned LeJ and HuM.
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January 17
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Police in the Mianwali district
claimed to have foiled a terrorism bid when it arrested three
‘potential car bombers’ when their car had an accident on the
Bannu-Mianwali Road on December 21, 2007. The ‘potential bombers’
later revealed to the police that former federal minister Sumaira
Malik belonging to the adjacent Khushab district was their target;
and had they not been struck in the accident, she would have been
targeted the next day in a suicide attack. The three militants
were identified as Wasif Ali Shah of Bannu in the NWFP, Niaz Bahadur
and Abdul Rahman from Miranshah in North Waziristan. During interrogation,
they revealed that they belonged to terrorist groups, headed by
Faqiro and Darpa, who were working under the supervision of Maulana
Said Khan, the superintendent of Fazal Qadar seminary in Miranshah’s
main bazaar. Said Khan is further linked to Baitullah Mehsud,
leader of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. Regional Police Officer
Hamid Mukhtar Gondal stated that the militants revealed that one
Ghulam Nabi was spearheading all suicide attacks in the Punjab
province.
Terrorists targeted the Pakistan
Aeronautical Complex at Kamra, firing four rockets at short intervals.
One of rockets landed on the roof of the senior non-commissioned
officers’ mess and two others hit airmen’s residences inside the
Mirage Rebuilt Factory. The fourth rocket exploded in a field
near the Qutba village, close to the Kamra Cantonment. However,
no casualty was reported. This is reportedly the second incident
of terrorism targeting the Kamra cantonment in a little more than
a month.
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January 18
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11 suicide bombers have entered
Rawalpindi and Islamabad to hit their targets during the month
of Muharram, intelligence agencies have claimed.
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January 19
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A blast outside the house of PML-N
Balochistan President Sardar Yaqoob Khan Nasir partially damaged
his house in Loralai in Lahore. However, no casualties were reported.
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January 24
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Security agencies arrested six suspected terrorists
from Rawalpindi and seized explosive-laden jackets and ammunition
from them.
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February 4
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At least 10 people were killed
and about 10 others sustained injuries when unidentified assailants
carried out an explosion targeting a bus carrying security force
personnel near the headquarters of Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi
in Punjab Province. The explosion occurred at 7.15am (PST) outside
the gate of the army's National Logistics Cell in R.A. Bazar,
a high security area as it is located very close to the General
Headquarters. The blast completely destroyed the bus, several
cars and motorcycles, eyewitnesses said. No group has so far claimed
responsibility for the attack.
Punjab Home Secretary Khusro Pervaiz
Khan said that security agencies had arrested three alleged would-be
suicide bombers and seized suicide jackets and explosives from
their possession. He told a private television channel that the
arrested "suicide bombers" had disclosed that four more suicide
bombers had entered southern Punjab and Lahore to target politicians.
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February 10
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The security agencies arrested
40 people suspected to be activists of banned militant groups.
The Ghaziabad police arrested 30 men from a rented house near
Muhammadpura railway crossing. Separately, police raided the RA
Bazaar and arrested seven suspects. The arrested belonged to the
banned Sunni group LeJ and were allegedly involved in the Rawalpindi
blast. During another raid in Saddar Bazaar, police arrested three
members of the LeJ. The Mughalpura Superintendent of Police, P.
Sajjad Manj, said Rustam Ali, who was a member of the proscribed
SSP, owned the house. However, he escaped the raid. Two Kalashnikovs,
three 222s, a shotgun and rifles were seized from them.
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February 14
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Two alleged terrorists, Wahab
and Abdullah, were arrested from Sargodha along with two kilograms
of explosive material and a Kalashnikov. Two of their associates,
identified as Hafiz Saeed Ghani and Fahd Mithu, were reported
to have managed to escape.
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February 19
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In the Punjab province, the Pakistan
Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) won 101 seats out of 280, while
the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and independent candidates got
78 and 35 seats, respectively. The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid
(PML-Q) got 66 seats.
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February 25
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A suicide bomber killed eight
people, including the Pakistan Army’s surgeon general, in Rawalpindi
- the highest-ranking military official killed since the country
joined the US-led war on terror. Lieutenant General Mushtaq Baig,
surgeon general and Director-General of the army’s Medical Services,
died after a teenage suicide bomber blew himself up next to a
military convoy on a busy road in Rawalpindi. Five civilians were
also killed, while 25 others were injured, an army statement said.
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February 25
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Security force personnel arrested a militant connected
to the October 18, 2007, assassination attempt on slain former
premier Benazir Bhutto. Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz told AFP
that Benazir Bhutto had accused Qari Saifullah Akhtar of plotting
against her in her posthumously published memoirs. A close ally
of Taliban chief Mullah Omar, Saifullah was arrested along with
his three sons from an under-construction mosque in Ferozwala.
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February 26
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Police in Lahore arrested four members of the
banned Sunni militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) from Nawankot
bus stand in the Kotwali area and seized from them explosives
and weapons. The accused confessed, during preliminary interrogation,
that they had planned sabotage activities including bomb blasts
in Lahore, besides assassination of key political and religious
personalities and senior police officials. The arrested militants
were identified as Muhammad Asif Ali alias Hasan Moosa, Abdur
Rahman, Mureed Ahmad and Fahad Munir. Police officials said that
Munir was the nephew of LeJ leader Riaz Basra.
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February 27
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Police in Jhang said that they had arrested three
terror suspects carrying two suicide jackets and chemicals in
Shorkot on February 26-night. Jhang District Police Officer Amjad
Javed stated that the terrorists, identified as Ghulam Shabir,
Muhammad Amin and Muhammad Ramazan, were arrested from Mir Wala
Bridge and were attempting to target prominent politicians. The
three men were suspected to be members of the outlawed Sunni militant
group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), APP reported local police officer
Pervez Tareen Sardar as having said.
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March 3
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Police arrested around 15 suspected terrorists
from various areas of Rawalpindi. Special police teams are reported
to have searched a total of 866 houses in the Shah Khalid Colony,
Ghareebabad, Rehmatabad and Shah Faisal Colony areas and subsequently
arrested 15 suspects.
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March 4
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Eight persons were killed and
24 others sustained injuries when two suicide bombers blew themselves
up in the parking area of the Pakistan Navy War College in Lahore.
The incident occurred at around 1:10 pm (PST) when classes in
the Pakistan Navy War College were in progress. Eyewitnesses and
police officials said five Navy officials and two suicide bombers
died on the spot while one Navy official succumbed to injuries
at a hospital.
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March 5
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Police in Lahore have arrested
at least 13 persons in connection with the March 4-suicide attack
on the Naval War College.
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March 6
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Police in Lahore arrested three
suspected suicide bombers of a defunct militant outfit who were
planning attacks on prominent personalities. They also recovered
50-kilogram explosive material, four suicide jackets, two bottles
of explosive chemical and a bundle of electric detonators from
their possession. Capital City Police Officer Malik Muhammad Iqbal
told a news conference that the police had information that three
bombers were coming to Lahore from the FATA with explosive material.
The police subsequently raided the Shafiqabad area and arrested
the three bombers identified as Abdul Majid Rashid alias Wali
Hasan of Rahimyar Khan, Qamar Saleem of Gujranwala and Nadeem
Shehzad alias Qari of Kot Radha Kishan. However, their group identity
was not disclosed.
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March 11
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At least 30 people were killed
and more than 200 sustained injuries in suicide blasts at the
FIA headquarters and an advertising agency office in Lahore. The
first attack was carried out at the FIA regional headquarters
on Temple Road, severely damaging the eight-storey establishment
and adjacent buildings. The building also housed the offices of
a special US-trained unit created to counter terrorism. The second
attack was carried out on Bungalow No 83/F in Model Town – the
office of an advertising agency. Two children and a gardener died
in the bombing and about 12 people were injured. The advertising
agency is located near Bilawal House, office of the Pakistan People’s
Party. Police said around 50kg and 30kg of explosives had been
used in the two attacks.
Sources said police arrested 27
suspects from Lahore, Gujranwala, Sargodha and Okara. 15 of them
were detained during raids in the Awan Town, Shahdara, Misri Shah
and Bilal Gunj in Lahore. Police also seized a large quantity
of explosives in the raids.
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March 12
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Police arrested more than 50 suspects
in province-wide raids in connection with the suicide attacks
in Lahore on March 11, and were investigating whether al Qaeda
was behind the attacks. Police sources said the suspects, most
of them from banned militant groups, were arrested from Lahore,
Faisalabad, Okara, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur. Deputy Inspector
General (Investigations) Tasadaq Hussain said plastic explosive
C4 was used in the attacks.
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March 13
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A meeting of security agencies
named al Qaeda and pro-Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud as the
prime suspects in the twin suicide attacks in Lahore on March
11. Sources privy to the meeting said representatives of intelligence
agencies, the Federal Investigation Agency, Punjab Police and
the Crime Investigation Department said Lahore was being targeted
because it housed the regional headquarters of various security
agencies. Investigators said at the meeting that Lahore was not
a new target as intelligence had arrested 48 suspects including
seven would-be suicide bombers from the provincial capital and
seized 640 kilograms of explosives before Muharram.
The Punjab Police arrested 15
more suspects in connection with the bombings. Police also conducted
several raids in southern Punjab.
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March 14
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Police in the Chakwal city arrested
four persons on charges of their alleged links with the banned
LeT.
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March 25
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The Mianwali district police arrested
a suspected would-be suicide bomber, identified as Ahmad, near
Dara Tang. A diary containing vital information, 20 CDs and material
related to bomb were recovered from his possession. The diary
reportedly contained information about Taliban activity and addresses
of Taliban militants and the CDs had footages of some successful
operations conducted by the militants. Dara Tang check post is
the entry point from the NWFP, some 80km from Mianwali city.
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March 27
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A joint team of intelligence agencies
and Lahore Police arrested two alleged terrorists for facilitating
the suicide bombings at GPO and the Pakistan Naval War College.
Police said that they had seized a "huge quantity of explosives",
including suicide vests, detonators, and ball bearings, from the
suspected terrorists’ possession. Capital City Police Officer
Malik Muhammad Iqbal and Deputy Inspector General of Police Tassaduq
Hussain told a press conference that Muhammad Shahzad and Nadim
Hussain were members of the South Waziristan-based militant organisation
Tanzeem Jihad Islami.
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April 11
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Police in the Sialkot district
have arrested three terror suspects, who they said were planning
to carry out suicide bombings. The police said the suspects had
confessed they had links with Taliban and al Qaeda. Sialkot District
Police Officer Muhammad Amin Owais told the channel that the detained
men had tried to abduct a Shia cleric from Allama Iqbal Chowk
when a police squad stopped them. Two of them were from Karachi,
he said, and one from Quetta. Police officials also said that
the suspects had abducted children in the past and sent them to
Afghanistan "for brain-washing".
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April 15
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The intelligence agencies and
district police have arrested two militants having links with
the Taliban in Afghanistan from the Sialkot city. Addressing a
press conference, district police officer (DPO) Capt Muhammad
Ameen said that they had arrested Muaz Umer of Quetta and Asim
Khan of North Nazimabad in Karachi from Sialkot city a few days
ago when they were escaping after abducting a local Shia cleric,
Zeeshan alias Shani Shah. The DPO claimed that the duo had also
confessed to their involvement in terrorism against Pakistan army
in Wana and Hilmand.
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