Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) have arrested three high profile terrorists of banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangavi from Korangi area, Karachi. This was announced here on Wednesday by Colonel Qamar Abbas Kiyani, Commandant, Bhitai Rangers, at a press conference in presence of Sindh Home Minister Rauf Siddiqui and Home Secretary Ghulam Muhammad Mohtarum.
Colonel Qamar said that the arrested terrorists, identified as Maqsood Ahmed Qureshi alias Abbass alias Faisal, Azhar-ul-Haq alias Tariq, and Nawaz Khan alias Shosha, were affiliated with the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangavi. They were arrested from Korangi Industrial Area recently.
The Rangers also recovered a large quantity of explosives, including detonators, one kalashinkov, and three TT pistols from their possession, he added.
He said that the names of arrested terrorists were included in the 'most wanted' list of terrorists. One of the arrested accused, Maqsood Qureshi, had established his own network and was planning to stage terrorist acts in Karachi.
Kiyani said that during interrogation the arrested persons had confessed to various terrorist acts.
Giving details of the terrorist acts of the arrested persons, Colonel Kiyani said that Maqsood was a close associate of Riaz Basra, Akram Lahori and Asif Chhotoo and had conducted many terrorist activities. He carries head money of Rs 0.5 million. Maqsood, along with Asif Chhotoo, had killed Dr Iqtadar in Korangi Colony and injured dispenser Asif Raza in 1997. He had also killed a boy named Aflatoon at Lasbella House Chowk same year.
In 2001, he along with his associates had killed a well-known religious scholar, Syed Razi Haider, and severely injured his son Abbas Ali Rizvi. He also murdered prayer leader (Pesh Imam) Zaheer Hussain Rizvi in Korangi area in the same year.
Maqsood, in league with Akram Lahori, had killed Mushtaq Haider in Khudadad Colony who was a clerk in the office of Commissioner of Karachi and severely injured a clerk of National Identity Card Office named Saadat Ali Jaffery in Manzoor Colony.
He was also involved in various dacoities in Korangi, Manzoor Colony, Nursery area and Akhtar Colony. The looted money from these dacoities was used for running the organisational affairs of Lashkar-e-Jhangavi, Kiyani said.
He said that the arrested accused Azhar-ul-Haq alias Tariq was associated with Asif Ramzi, Akram Lahori and Asif Chhotoo, and had taken part in various terrorist acts planned by Lashkar-e-Jhangavi.
Azhar-ul-Haq is a trained suicide bomber who got training from Muzafar Abbassi, who was killed in suicide bombing at Imambargah Satellite Town, Rawalpindi. He was also involved in a police encounter in April 2004 at Karachi.
Nawaz alias Shosha used to send militants of Lashkar-e-Jhangavi to Afghanistan for training and used to finance the organisation.
Colonel Kiyani told the press that Pakistan Rangers have arrested a large number of wanted terrorists associated with various banned militants outfits since 2001. Previously, Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) had nabbed many wanted terrorist of Lashkar-e-Jhangavi, including notorious Dawood Badani who was involved in heinous acts of terrorism in Quetta and was hiding in Karachi. The government of Balochistan had announced Rs 2 million as head money for Dawood Badani.
Sindh Home Minister Rauf Siddiqui highly praised the performance and achievement of Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) in its war against terrorism. He acknowledged that Sindh owed the present phase of peace to the sacrifices of Rangers personnels. Moreover, he elaborated the achievements of Rangers during 2005 which included killing of seven terrorists/criminals, arrest of 1,840, recovery of 780 weapons, ammunition recovered 45,754, stolen cars recovered 108, stolen MCs recovered 132, narcotics seized Rs 1.287 million, betel nuts seized Rs 9.287 million and miscellaneous items seized Rs 13.148 million. Colonel Kamran Jalil, Colonel, Rangers Headquarters, and other officials of Pakistan Rangers were also present on this occasion.