KARACHI, March 12: Army has been called out in the metropolis and asked to remain standby to provide a backup support if law and order situation goes out of the control of police and rangers during Muharram.
This was stated by provincial police chief Syed Kamal Shah at a press conference at the office of the Saddar Town police chief on Wednesday where he formally announced the arrest of an Afghanistan-born activist of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, Abdul Wahab, and claimed that the man was involved in sectarian killings.
Mr Shah said the police had been deployed all over the city, especially at places of worships and along the routes of mourners’ processions. The rangers have also been deployed along with the police to reinforce the security cover and deal with any untoward incident more effectively.
However, he said, the army was asked to remain standby and move as and when needed to assist police-rangers force.
The provincial police chief pointed out that temporarily police pickets had been setup along the routes of processions. Besides, he said, police vans would keep patrolling the sensitive areas round-the-clock. Deployment of police personnel atop various buildings and installation of surveillance cameras along procession routes are also part of the security plan, he added.
Mr Shah told newsmen that all the police stations had been directed to intensify patrolling using armoured personnel carriers, vans and motorcycles in their respective areas and keep a strict and constant vigil on the suspicious elements.
About the arrest of Abdul Wahab alias Jamil alias Khalid, he said the suspect was arrested from New Karachi. Giving details, he said that three men on a motorcycle had killed one, Umair, an activist of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi on Mar 7, on suspicion of being an informer. The police, he claimed, captured one of them, Abdul Wahab, in the ensuing pursuit and at that time, the man had introduced himself as Jamil. However, it transpired later that his real name was Abdul Wahab, the police chief claimed.
He further claimed that the suspect was involved in the killing of nine people in Al-Falah, another two at Arambagh, in the blast near PSO building, etc.
Kamal Shah said Abdul Wahab was born in Ghazni and, along with his parents, moved to Karachi at the age of four years. Having studied class IX in a school in Korangi No.4, he quit education and opened his shop in the same vicinity. He joined Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan in 1997 and came across Maqsood Qureshi of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi in 1999.
