“The people behind all three blasts in Karachi have been arrested. Defunct outfit Lashkar-e- Jhangvi is behind Karachi attack on Ashura procession,” said Rehman Malik in his opening statement on a motion to discuss the incident of bomb blast and subsequent arsons in Boulton Market Karachi.
He said there is triangular syndicate consisting Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e Jhangvi and Al-Qaeda and the claiming the responsibility of attack by a TTP person was aimed at deviating the focus of investigation into all three blasts took place in on December 26, 27 and 28 respectively.
Rehman Malik said during his visit to Karachi, he revealed that the blast was not a suicide as it damaged the front side of the site unlike the suicide blast that affects all locations around, adding that a TTP militant Asmatullah had claimed that Muavia of the same outfit carried out the attack.
The interior minister said the bomb blast took place at 16:30 and the arsons stared at 16:35 and Rangers as well as police were blamed for negligence on the basis of some video footage but the fact was that the city government dispatched a tanker but the rioters attacked that. However, later the teams reached there and carried out their operation but the fire had engulfed the whole areas, leaving many question as to who was behind that.
He said as there were some plastic stores in the market and the fire could have been extinguished through a foam system that was later managed from Air Force, Civil Aviation and Hyderabad Defense.
He said a team was formed headed by a Director FIA that, following the footage, arrested people involved in looting the shops including an arm shops but, he said the looted items have been recovered for their custody.
For the compensation of shopkeepers, Rs 3.5 billion has been committed by the Prime Minister, one billion rupees by US ambassador and Rs 500 million by Sindh government, adding that the provincial government has also committed to accommodate the victim shopkeepers in the would-be reconstructed plazas.
Rehman Malik told the House that the target killing started from January 7 and almost 15 to 16 people were being killed a day, hailing from all political parties including MQM, PPP and others.He said the growing incidents of target killing compelled the government to take action against the criminals staying in Liyari and Pak Colony where from the Rangers also recovered hostages.
He said the notions of operation in Liyari was mere propaganda and added that the killings may also be the reaction by criminals being backed by the gangsters involved in disrupting the Karachi peace.
The interior minister assured the House that target killing has effectively been controlled in Karachi and the government carried out no operation in Liyari rather it was action against terrorists.
“No target killing took place in Karachi since last 72 hours because of timely an effective action against terrorists by Sindh government, Rangers and police, in close cooperation with federal government,” said Rehman Malik.
He said the final report of the incidents would shortly come to scene that would be tabled before the House as well as, he added, some of the parliamentarians also expressed their apprehensions about the action by the Rangers.
/106
