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Educationist gunned down in ‘targeted attack’ in Karachi

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), terrorists tried to ambush a convoy of security forces in District Kech of Balochistan on the evening of February 22…reports Asian Lite News

An educationist, who was also a senior office-bearer of the private schools’ association, was gunned down on Sunday, in what police described as a ‘targeted attack’ in Karachi’s Gulistan-i-Jauhar area.

Victim Syed Khalid Raza, 55, was the deputy director of the Darul Arqam Schools, Karachi region. He was also the vice chairman of the Federation of Private Schools Pakistan. The police said that the incident took place at Gulistan-i-Jauhar Block-7 near his home.

Superintendent of Police-East Zubair Nazeer Shaikh said that the victim came out of his home towards his car parked nearby. He said assailants on a motorcycle emerged there, opened fire at him and rode away.

He suffered a single bullet wound in the head and died on the spot. The police said that it appeared that the assailants were waiting for him.

“Definitely, it appears to be a targeted killing incident,” said the SSP.

The body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for a post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah took notice of the targeted killing of the educationist and directed the Karachi police chief to investigate the case and submit his findings to him.

In a similar incident, on Sunday morning, at least four people were killed and 12 wounded in an explosion inside the Rakhni market in Balochistan’s Barkhan on Sunday morning, reported Business Recorder quoting Aaj News. The injured persons have been moved to a nearby hospital while security forces cordoned off the area for investigation. The incident came a day after two policemen were killed and two were injured in a remote-controlled blast in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district.

Earlier this week, security forces killed eight militants during a combing operation in Balochistan’s Kech district, the military’s media affairs wing said, the B Recorder reported.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), terrorists tried to ambush a convoy of security forces in District Kech of Balochistan on the evening of February 22.

It said that alert and combat-ready troops not only foiled the cowardly attack without any loss of life, but they also immediately commenced a follow-up operation to hunt down the fleeing terrorists using ground and aviation assets.

“As a result, on the morning of February 23, a suspected hideout of terrorists was identified in Mazaaband Range where a sanitisation operation was launched. In the ensuing, and heavy exchange of fire, eight terrorists were killed while a large cache of arms and ammunition including explosives was recovered,” the ISPR said.

“Security forces of Pakistan will continue to thwart any attempt by inimical elements on the behest of hostile intelligence agencies, to disrupt hard-earned peace in the province,” it added. (ANI)

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TTP Terrorists Storm Karachi Police HQ

Karachi police headquarters comes under attack

Among 5 militants, three of them blew themselves up while two were gunned down in the shootout that took place.

At least 5 Pakistan Taliban militants and 4 people, including rangers and police personnel, were killed after the four-hour-long operation by the Law enforcement agencies in Pakistan’s Karachi, weeks after the deadly attack in Peshawar’s police line, Geo News reported.

The incident happened on Friday night at the headquarters of Karachi police in south Sindh province.

Among 5 militants, three of them blew themselves up while two were gunned down in the shootout that took place on Friday, officials confirmed. Meanwhile, 18 people were injured, officials confirmed to Geo News, the latest attack on security forces as terrorism grips the nation.

After the long-hour operation, the LEAs cleared the five-story office of the city’s police chief.

The incident invited strong criticism from the top government officials, however, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo News that “condemnations are not enough” and strict action must be taken against militants.

The attack began at 7:10 pm, while police and Rangers personnel cleared the five-story building in phases, finally sweeping the entire office by around 10:46 pm.

Rangers and police teams have started a joint operation against the terrorists following the armed attack on the Karachi Police Office (KPO) – the Additional Inspector General (AIG) Office, reported ARY News.

The Rangers spokesperson said that the quick response force (QRF) of the paramilitary troops surrounded the KPO building and took their positions. An operation was started by Rangers and police to clear the KPO from terrorists.

The spokesperson added that the operation is being conducted on the reported presence of eight to 10 terrorists in the Karachi police chief’s office.

A police officer, who did not want to be named, told Geo News that the attackers entered the office wearing police uniforms — a similar move used in the Peshawar mosque suicide attack that claimed the lives of more than 80 people.

Meanwhile, seven people including Rangers police personnel have been injured, reported Geo News.

Police officials said that armed suspects — whose total numbers are unknown at the moment — fired several rounds at the head office — located adjacent to the Saddar Police Station.

In view of the terrorists’ attack, the Karachi Traffic Police blocked both sides of Shara-e-Faisal from Avari Hotel to Nursery.

Talking exclusively to Geo News, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that there was a general security threat following the terror attack in Peshawar. “All the institutions are fully alert across the country,” he added.

The security czar stressed the need for taking further steps to counter the fresh wave of terrorism.

“The police have said that the terrorists threw a grenade after parking the vehicle, and used that as a cover for entering the building,” he revealed.

In a statement, Islamabad IG Akbar Nasir Khan confirmed that security is on high alert in the federal capital and all officers have been instructed to stay in their respective areas, reported Geo News.

“Checking of entry and exit routes and inside the city has been increased,” he said, adding that officials have been directed to keep all important buildings and Red Zone on high alert. (ANI)

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A new direction for Baloch insurgency

The attack raised questions about what motivated an educated, happily married, middle-class woman to blow herself up.

Shari Baloch, a 31-year-old mother of two, reportedly became the first woman to carry out a suicide bombing for the secular, ethnic Baloch rebels seeking independence for Pakistans largest and resource-rich province of Balochistan.

She killed three Chinese citizens and their Pakistani driver in front of the Confucius Institute in Karachi on April 26, RFE/RL reported.

The attack raised questions about what motivated an educated, happily married, middle-class woman to blow herself up. Many in Pakistan wonder whether the attack signifies a new direction for the two-decade-old Baloch insurgency that is locked in a violent stalemate with Islamabad, the report said.

Kiyya Baloch, an exiled journalist covering Balochistan, says the first attack by a female suicide bomber heralds the possibility of similar attacks in the future.

“It is a paradigm shift because until recently, the Baloch nationalists prided themselves in being secular and opposed to the kind of radicalization that results in extreme violent acts such as this one,” he said.

Kiyya Baloch says a wide-ranging Pakistani crackdown that has included military operations, forced disappearances, and even extrajudicial killings of the insurgency’s supporters fuels extreme desperation among those affected by the abduction or killing of their loved ones, RFE/RL reported.

“Both the state and the Baluch insurgents have adopted extreme positions,” he told RFE/RL.

“The state appears unwilling to give up its security-centric approach to Balochistan as it continues to prop up an artificial political leadership (in the region). On the other hand, the insurgents have been radicalised to an extent that they are now resorting to suicide bombings.”

Since 2000, Baloch rebel groups have been engaged in conflict with the Pakistani security forces in the vast southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran and hemmed in by the Arabian Sea.

Islamabad blames the rebels for attacks on government forces, installations, immigrants, and labourers from the eastern Punjab Province and even pro-Islamabad Baluch figures.

Baloch nationalists and human rights watchdogs accuse Pakistani security forces of grave human rights violations by adopting harsh methods such as forced disappearances and killings to crush the insurgency.

Continuing violence during the past two decades has transformed the insurgency. It began as a tribal rebellion but has evolved into a handful of shadowy groups now attracting educated, middle-class Baloch professionals, the report said.

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