KARACHI, April 12: The Sindh Rangers claim to have unearthed a nexus between terrorists and foreign spy agencies.
A senior paramilitary officer on Wednesday said the force has arrested at least five hardcore militants from Da’ish and al Qaeda in the Indian Sub-Continent (AQIS) who were in contact with India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS).
“We arrested the five hardcore militants during a raid in the Mawach Goth area of [Karachi’s] Keamari Town,” Rangers Colonel Qaiser Khattak told a news conference at the force’s headquarters.
“We had received information through intelligence sources that trained Da’ish and AQIS militants were planning a major attack in Karachi,” he said. “Rangers saved Karachi by taking timely action against them.”
Col Khattak said the captured terrorists had received training in Afghanistan. “They [the terrorists] were part of a nexus with India’s RAW and Afghanistan’s NDS which was operating out of Balochistan,” he said. “They were communicating with each other by using SD cards.”
“A laptop containing a three-dimensional map of a highly sensitive installation in Karachi along with jihadi and anti-state literature was recovered from the militants’ possession and confirmed their ties with banned outfits,” the Rangers officer added.
The suspects arrested were identified as Tahir Zaman alias Faisal Mota Boxer, Muhammad Nawaz, Bilal Ahmed alias Kashif alias Javed, Muhammad Farhan Siddiqui and Dur Muhammad Mashadi.
Sharing details of the arrested militants, Col Khattack said Tahir Zaman received training in Afghanistan and Miramshah. He along with companions killed two cops in Korangi on January 2013. Also on January 2013, he attacked a police mobile with hand grenade, killing two cops and wounded another also in Korangi area. He also killed two workers of ethnic party in 2013.
Suspect Nawaz joined AQIS in 2012 and got training of militancy and preparing IEDs. He also used to provide information about army, intelligence and police officials to Tehreek-e-Talibam Pakistan. Another arrested militant Bilal Ahmed is a closed aide of Tahir Minhas, a key suspect in Safoora bus carnage already arrested by law enforcers. He even got training of suicide bombing. He also killed eight people belinging to Dawoodi Bohra community and Ahle Hadees on the directives of Tahir Minhas. He was also involved in a bomb blast outside a Sareena mobile market in North Nazimabad. The accused Farhan Siddiqui had joined al-Qaeda in 2008. He was also the recruitment in-charge for al-Qaeda while the accused Dur Muhammad joined al Qaeda in 2008 and was also arrested in 2009 while smuggling arms to Karachi from Sukkar. He after releasing from jail in 2014 again joined the organisation and engaged in terror activities.
Col Khattak also said Rangers have recovered eight kilogrammes of explosives, four ball bombs, four sub machineguns (SMGs), two pistols, one suicide jacket, four hand grenades and ammunitions and explosive materials. He also informed the media that the Rangers had the support of some peaceloving citizens of Karachi during this operation and they would also be awarded with special rewards on the directives of DG Rangers, Sindh.