Terrorism-related Incidents in Islamabad - 2011

Date

Incident

January 4

Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was assassinated by one of his guards, Malik Mumtaz Qadri, in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. According to sources and witnesses, Salmaan Taseer, who was residing in a guest house of his company located in sector F-6/3, after visiting the Presidency and Parliament House, had a meeting with the Information Minister and came back to F-6 and had lunch at a restaurant in the Kohsar Market. After having lunch, the 65-year-old Taseer came out of the restaurant, but his guard Malik Mumtaz Qadri shot a burst with an SMG gun, due to which the Governor died on the spot.

January 24

Anti-Terrorism Court in Punjab will formally indict Malik Mumtaz Qadri, the self-confessed killer of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, on February 1 after Kohsar Police submitted their investigation report to the court.

February 1

ATC deferred the indictment of Malik Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of former Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, after his lawyer asked for the statements of five other members of Elite Force providing security to the Punjab Governor on January 4. Special Judge ATC-II was to formally charge Qadri with the murder of Governor Taseer but put off indictment till February 4.

March 1

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that the Law Enforcement Agencies arrested a high-profile terrorist who wanted to hit Islamabad by rockets from the Margalla Hills in Islamabad.

March 2

Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs, Shahbaz Bhatti, was assassinated in the limits of the Industrial Area Police Station in Islamabad in Punjab.

March 3

Islamabad Police arrested 18 suspected persons after taking them into custody in the case of Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti’s March 2 assassination.

April 6

Police arrested a TTP militant, involved in several bomb blasts in Islamabad and Azad Kashmir, from outskirts of Islamabad. Police sources said that Faisal Shabbir Abbasi belonged to the Hakimullah Mehsud’s faction of the TTP.

Federal Police arrested one Ashraf Jonu, a militant of TTP accused of attacking NATO oil containers and seized four kilogram explosive material and two hand grenades from his possession. The initial investigation revealed that Jonu trained in preparing explosive circuit somewhere in Afghanistan and also had contacts with a Taliban leader Ameer Abdul Salam and visited Helmand in Afghanistan in 2007. He also remained in contact with Taliban Commander Maulvi Khalil in Afghanistan and allegedly owned up to attacking the NATO oil tankers near Mastung, Mach and Chaman along with his accomplices who hailed from Lahore, Quetta, Miranshah, Muzaffarabad, Rawalpindi, and Islamabad.

Pakistan Intelligence Agencies uncovered a plot to assassinate President Asif Ali Zardari and arrested several suspects. The Agencies conducted raids over the past few weeks in Islamabad and Punjab and arrested up to 42 suspects.

Pakistan Intelligence Agencies uncovered a plot to assassinate President Asif Ali Zardari and arrested several suspects. The Agencies conducted raids over the past few weeks in Islamabad and Punjab and arrested up to 42 suspects.

At least six people were injured when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted in the Bara Kahu area of Islamabad went off.

Two persons, including the suicide bomber, were killed and six persons were injured in a suicide attack at a bank located in sector I-8 of Markaz area in Islamabad.

Islamabad Police arrested 24 suspected militants during search operation in Shahzad Town, Industrial Area, Bhara Kau, Tarnol, Sihala and Sect areas of Islamabad and also recovered 15 liquor bottles, one pistol and 1.20kg hashish from their possession.

Sabzi Mandi Police arrested two accused Rahat Gul and Muhammad Nadeem and recovered one pistol and 1.20kilogramgram hashish from their possession.

A Pakistani journalist, Waqar Kiani, working for local and international media houses, was allegedly beaten up by the Police in Islamabad, after he broke his silence about the July 2008 ordeal when he was apparently abducted and tortured by Intelligence Agencies. According to Kiani, four persons wearing Police uniforms and travelling in a Police van stopped him and beat him up. Working for The Guardian in July 2008, Kiani was abducted and tortured for tracking a story about the alleged cooperation between Pakistan and British Intelligence in the detention camps and abuse of suspected militants. When he was let off, Kiani was warned of dire consequences if he spoke about the incident.

Islamabad Police got orders to stop immediately any unauthorised construction or expansion of seminaries in the territory. As the first step in the campaign, the Islamabad Administration and Police jointly conducted a survey that found 305 seminaries of different schools of thought exist in the city's rural and urban areas, with 800 teachers and 29,000 students on their rolls.

Former President General Pervez Musharraf's ADC Major (Retired) Tanveer Ali was found dead in mysterious circumstances in his suite in the limits of the Shalimar Police Station in Islamabad.

Explosives and hand grenades were recovered from Islamabad's fruit and vegetable market. The recovery of explosives and hand grenades was made from a car parked in the market.

Islamabad Police arrested two militants belonging to TTP and recovered suicide jackets from their possession. The terrorists identified as Mohib Ullah and Munawar hailed from Mohmand Agency of FATA.

A TTP leader, Zia-ur-Rahman, was arrested in Islamabad. However, there is uncertainty over the exact identity of the TTP leader. Conflicting reports in Pakistan's local media suggested the arrested leader is in-charge of the intelligence network of TTP. He is being questioned for his activities, said one report while adding there is no official word on the arrest. The name of the arrested leader has created confusion as there is another senior TTP leader with the name of Qari Zia-ur-Rahman, who moved to Afghanistan in the wake of major military operation in Bajaur Agency of the FATA in 2008-2009 and is now leading militants in Afghanistan's Kunar province.

A senior cadre of TTP's 'intelligence group' was arrested by security agencies in an operation carried out in the Dhok Kashmirian village, the suburbs of the federal capital, Islamabad.

Islamabad Police arrested four militants suspected of plotting terrorist activities in Islamabad. Police confiscated suicide vests, hand grenades and pistols from their possession.

An unidentified dead body was found from Sabzi Mandi area of Islamabad.

The Supreme Court received a letter written by Summandar Khan and Oman Khan containing a threat that its building would be blown up on August 26 or 27. The letter dated August 25, 2011 was found from parking area of the SC by a cameraman of a private TV channel near the Digital Satellite News Gathering vans in Islamabad.

Police commandos raided a house in Sector G-6/1 in Islamabad on August 26 and arrested five terrorists. Inspector General of Police Bani Amin Khan said a suspect was picked up from Anwar Hotel in Aabpara at around 3am. His interrogation led to the terrorists' hideout which was in the use of Sardar Ali Khan Khattak, a Naib Qasid (deputy messenger) in the Ministry of Finance who has been on two-year leave. Subsequent arrest and interrogation of the five terrorists revealed that Khattak had gone to tribal area to bring a suicide bomber. A suicide jacket, a hand grenade, two pistols, bullets and foreign currency were recovered from their hideout. Police were still hunting for the suicide bomber and his handler Sardar Ali Khan Khattak. They were to join the terrorists, who are affiliated to the TTP, to carry out suicide attack either on a Jumatul Wida congregation or the Al Quds Day rally that was to pass by their hideout on August 26, according to Amin Khan.

Police and SFs arrested two persons allegedly involved in aborted plots of terrorism in the Chirah village under Nilor Police Station of Islamabad.

Anti-Car Lifting Cell (ACLC) of Islamabad Police foiled an attempt to smuggle a cache of weapons and recovered six mini machine guns, 14 kalashnikovs, four 12 bore pump action, one 12 bore double barrel, one sniper rifle and over 30,000 rounds from a vehicle near motorway inter-change of Islamabad. Federal Minister of Interior Rehman Malik in press conference in Islamabad termed these recoveries a success of Islamabad Police and appreciated Islamabad IGP Bani Amin Khan, SSP Muhammad Yousaf Malik for taking effective steps to ensure protection to the lives and property of the citizens.

Police said authorities arrested an employee of the finance ministry on suspicion of links to terrorist groups. The suspect, identified as Sardar Ali Khattak, was on a hilltop near President Asif Ali Zardari's residence in Islamabad when arrested.

A blast ripped through the top floor of a hotel building in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, injuring at least six people.

Police arrested two alleged militants of TTP in Islamabad. Police also recovered huge cache of deadly weapons from them.

ATC remanded five alleged terrorists of TTP to Police for seven days. The accused were arrested for possessing huge cache of arms with intent of terrorism in Islamabad.

Elsewhere in the District, Police claimed to have arrested a wanted terrorist, identified as Qari Inayat, from sector G-6/1 in Islamabad and recovered four hand grenades from his possession.

The IHC stayed the execution of Mumtaz Qadri who was convicted of killing former Punjab Governor Salman Taseer.

Judge and Judicial Magistrate Malik Naeem Shoukat remanded an alleged terrorist, Qari Inayat, of TTP for three days in Police custody. Inayat is an activist of Qari Shakeel group based in Muhammad Agency in the FATA that is believed to be an offshoot of the TTP. Shakeel is a vice commander of TTP in the agency and had been planning terror attack in Islamabad.

Police averted two terror attacks in Islamabad by timely arresting four alleged terrorists and seized huge cache of weapons including kalashnikovs, pistols, guns, telescopes, ammunition and two cars from their possession.

IG of Punjab Police informed the SC that Advocate Asghar Ali Chaudhry had been rescued from the captivity of his abductors as per report of Rahimyar Khan DPO.

Federal Police arrested seven suspects for their alleged involvement in the October 6, 2011 abduction of a trader of Sector F-6/1 in Islamabad and keeping him 'chained' in some area of Punjab while demanding PNR 5 million as ransom from the family members of the abducted man.

Police recovered and defused a suicide jacket found near office of a Secret Agency close to Shakarparian Hills in Islamabad and also issued the sketch of the suspected person whose movement was observed in the area. According to Police official, security personnel in the afternoon saw a suspected person in front of the office main entrance located in Shakarparian area, who later fled into woods abandoning the jacket.

Nine suspected militants affiliated with TTP were arrested during separate raids in different parts of the Islamabad's rural area.

Police arrested three suspects in sector G-11 in Islamabad for their alleged involvement in stealing explosive material. The suspects were identified as Imran, Umar and Babar.

Wah Cantonment Police foiled a terrorism bid by arresting a militant, identified as Naseem Shah, with two hand grenades in Islamabad. SDPO Raja Taifoor Akhter said acting on a tip-off, a Police party intercepted a van and during search, recovered two grenades from him.

The AEC of the CID foiled a possible terror bid in the Federal Capital by arresting six alleged TTP militants. A Senior Police Official on condition of anonymity said that six TTP militants were arrested during separate raids in different parts of Islamabad's rural area Shahzad Town late on the night of December 26, 2011, and was disclosed on December 28 because of the security reasons. The official said that the suspects were hiding in a rented house in the area for the last couple of months. Sources reveal that the alleged militants were planning to carry out terror act on Islamabad Highway.