Detail Of Terrorism Update

At least seven people, including a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) activist’s son, were killed in a recent spate of target killings in Karachi on May 5, reported Daily Times. Unidentified armed assailants opened fire on a roadside chicken shop near Kati Pahari area, killing Muzamil Khan (29) on the spot and injuring his nephew Imran Khan (23) and a passerby, identified as Ghayas Rasheed (30). “Muzamil was the eldest son of Miskeen Khan, the known area leader of PPP,” said the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP). 

Separately, one Rasheed, an employee of a printing press, was killed while he was passing through the area when a bullet pierced his head. Another passerby identified as Farman succumbed to his injuries due to indiscriminate firing near Aligarh Colony.  

In another incident, unidentified armed assailants shot dead one Saleem near Metro Cinema in Orangi Town No 1.  

Elsewhere in the District, a private airline’s supervisor, Javed Akhtar (58), was shot dead near Bahria graveyard in Dalmia in Sharah-e-Faisal Police precincts.  

In addition, Police found an unidentified dead body of a man near Jama Cloth in the Aram Bagh Police precincts. Police said the deceased had a bullet mark on his abdomen and seemed a Baloch.  

Also, a teenage boy, identified as Jawed Khan (19), was shot dead outside his house on the Super Highway in the Sohrab Goth Police precincts.  

In separate incident, armed clash between two parties in Lines Area left four people injured.

The death toll in the May 4 suicide attack at Khar Bazaar of Bajaur Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), 2012 increased to 29 on May 5, reported Dawn. 

Meanwhile, two suspects were arrested near Khar during a search operation. Weapons, grenades, suicide jackets and other explosive devices were seized, he added. 

Separately, 16 Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, belonging to different tribes, including Masoodzai, Ali Sher, Afridi and Manttak (Orakzai), surrendered to the Government authorities in Kurram Agency, reports Daily Times. The militants gave up their weapons before the political administration in presence of the media in Parachinar, the headquarters of the region. “We have shunned all [militant] activities and ready to stand with our people and Law Enforcement Agencies,” a militant was quoted as saying. “We want to start our new life because we were compelled to cooperate with TTP militants when they started their activities in Kurram Agency. Now we have realised that they are killing our own people and not waging a jihad... rather it is bloodshed of the innocent people.” The former militants told the media that they had witnessed foreign fighters working side-by-side under four commanders, Abdullah, Muhammad Rasham, Walid and Rafiqullah. They disclosed that foreign militants, including Chechens and Uzbeks, had presence in the central parts of the troubled area.

One hand grenade was found near a community hall at Man-tripukhri under Heingang Police Station in Imphal East District on the morning of May 5, reports The Sangai Express.

Meanwhile, the troops of 9^th Assam Rifles (AR) arrested one United People''s Party of Kangleipak (UPPK) cadre, identified as SS Pvt Abul Hashi alias Boboy (28) from Moreh''s Pangal Basti area. One 9mm pistol with magazine and five rounds of ammunition were recovered from the arrested cadre who was later handed over to the Imphal West Police Station.                 

Police arrested two militants, identified as Ilyas and Akbar Zeb, affiliated with the Maulana Fazlullah faction of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), during a raid in Zarakhela area within the jurisdiction of Shamozai Police Station in Swat District on May 5, reported Dawn.

The Police took custody of five German tourists from Khaprakhol block in Bolangir District on May 5, reported The Times of India. Officials warned them to never to venture into the Red zone again. "The new guidelines don''t allow foreigners to visit tourist spots without prior permission. The entry of five Germans amounts to flouting of rules," District Tourist Officer Goutam Nag said.

After the chaotic eight days of gun battle between the Police and Lyari gangsters, life was finally seen progressing toward normalcy on May 5, reported Daily Times. The residents of Lyari, who remained huddled in their homes for over a week, finally felt ease as markets, schools, colleges and hospitals began opening. According to Police sources, the Sindh Police spent PKR 0.4 million daily on midday and night meals of some 1,400 law enforcers. In totality, sources said that the Sindh Government spent PKR 3.2 million only on meals during the weeklong operation. Despite spending huge amount on the operation, the Sindh Police provided a financial shock of PKR 15 million to the exchequer as some 20 vehicles, including armoured personnel carriers and police mobiles, were disfigured by the gangsters.  

Meanwhile, Rangers started snap checking and patrolling in several parts of Lyari and rumours poured in that they might start operation anytime. However, Brigadier Waseem Ayub dispelled the impression as saying that no operation had begun in Lyari and the personnel were deployed just for the routine snap checking and patrolling.

The Communist Party of India-Maoists (CPI-Maoist) on May 5 slammed the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in a statement, calling it anti-people, fascist and tyrannical, reported The Times of India. Charging that it has been formed on the "advice and guidance of United States (US) imperialists", the statement released by Abhay, spokesperson of the Maoist Central Committee, says the NCTC proposal "would make the Home Minister an unopposed emperor of internal security".                                             

The statement goes on to say, "All the Intelligence Agencies would be put under NCTC. This would tear the veil of even the namesake federalism written in the constitution and would give full powers to the Centre. It would control and coordinate all counter-terrorist operations. Functionaries of the state Government (including Police) must provide information, documents and reports to NCTC. The Defence and Finance Ministries are also supposed to depute their representatives to NCTC." 

The statement criticises the Chief Ministers opposing NCTC as well, saying they are doing this only because "such centralized powers" will "ridicule the law and order that is a State Government subject". "If NCTC is formed every fighting organization would be banned just as our party and other organizations have been banned under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Every protest of the people would become a crime. Every struggle would be termed illegal. All movement areas would turn into concentration camps. India would turn into Germany under Hitler. Particularly, the intervention of US would increase further in all matters related to internal security, it added".  

Baloch Republican Party (BRP) press release on May 5 read that the random abductions and extra-judicial killings of the Baloch are on the rise in Balochistan, reports Daily Times. The presser also read on one hand, Pakistani officials and the Supreme Court claimed that they were making efforts to recover Baloch missing persons and to stop the dumping of decomposed bodies, on the other hand, Security Forces continued to abduct torture and extra-judicially kill them.                                                         

The released further read, the area always suffered from military offensives and the residents are threatened by the forces to quit the area so that they could pave the way for multi-national oil and gas companies. The only aim of the so-called efforts of the judiciary and claims of law enforcers about the recovery of the Baloch missing persons is to hide ground realities from the world. “We appeal to the international community, human rights organisations, the European Union and the civilised nations to take notice of worst war crimes by Pakistani forces. We demand that they send fact-finding missions to Balochistan to surface the genocide of the Baloch by the state of Pakistan,” the press release read.