KARACHI: Sindh Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon has constituted a five-member committee to investigate the attack that took place on the Karachi Police Office (KPO) on Friday.
DIG Zulfiqar Larik will head the body. DIG South Irfan Baloch, CIA DIG Kareem Khan, PCTD SSP Tariq Nawaz and Counter Terrorism Department Incharge Raja Umer Khatab are part of the committee.
Three terrorists attacked the Karachi police office on Friday evening. In the exchange of fire, three terrorists lost their lives while four people including Rangers sub-inspector Taimoor and police official Ghulam Abbas lost their lives. Nineteen people suffered injuries included Lt Col Jawad of Rangers and DSP of Special Service Unit Haji Abdul Razzaq. The injured are being treated at the hospital.
Condemnation from various quarters also poured in after the attack.
Sindh Chief Minister took notice of the attack and said he was overseeing the investigations himself and said the attack on the police chief’s office was “unacceptable”. He also ordered the regional DIGs to arrive at the police head office with police forces.
Sindh IGP forms 5-member committee to probe KPO attack
“I want the perpetrators behind the attack on the additional IG’s office arrested,” he said, adding that an attack on the KPO was “not acceptable” at any cost.
The Chief Minister also sought a report from the officers concerned and said he was personally monitoring the situation. He said it was too early to confirm casualties as reports were still coming in.
Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said the terrorists would have to pay for their bloody attack at the police station and added that the Sindh CM had taken notice of the attack.
Following the attack, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said he had a telephonic conversation with the Sindh IGP and the chief secretary. He added the terrorists were facing resistance on the third floor of the building. The minister emphasised that a new strategy was needed for fighting the scourge of terrorism.
The minister said the federal government was in touch with the Sindh police and “all assistance will be provided.”
Sindh Chief Minister’s Advisor for Law Murtaza Wahab while talking to a private television channel termed the incident as regrettable and said that the operation to eliminate terrorists is underway. He said that it is difficult to give details of the attack at this moment but the police personnel and officers present at the spot were fighting courageously to clear the building.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, in his tweet, condemned the terrorist attack on Karachi police. He said the Sindh police had bravely faced and crushed terrorism before. “We have full faith they will do so again, such cowardly attacks will not deter us,” he added.
Taking strict notice of the terrorist attack on Karachi Police Office, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif sought a report of the incident from the Chief Minister. He also appreciated the police and security forces for their strong action against the terrorists.
The Prime Minister directed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan to provide full support from the federal government in the operation clean-up against terrorists. He said that in order to eradicate the menace of terrorism, the entire state power and cooperation must be used. He said the resolve and determination of the police and law enforcement agencies cannot be broken by such cowardly acts.
In a statement, President Dr Arif Alvi strongly condemned the terror attack on the police office in Karachi and prayed for the early recovery of the injured. He said the whole nation stood with the security forces in the fight against terrorism.
Efforts would continue till the complete elimination of the menace of terrorism, he added.
Of the three terrorists, one belonged to Laki Marwat and the other one was the resident of North Waziristan while the identity of the third one was still being traced. As per the preliminary investigations, terrorists entered the police station in police uniform from the backdoor at around 7:00pm on Friday.