July 7, 2003	Monday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 6,1424

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QUETTA, July 6: In an administrative move the provincial government has changed the Deputy Inspector General Police of Quetta Range and SSP with immediate effect in the wake of Friday’s imambargah killings.

A notification in this regard was issued late on Sunday night, the DIG Nawabzada Humayun Khan Jogezai and SSP Rahmatullah Niazi were transferred and asked to report to provincial head office.

District police chief Loralai, Malik Abdul Ghafoor Khan Kasi has been transferred and posted as new SSP Quetta. He will resume his charge on Monday.

According to another notification, the Station House Officer City Police Station, Malik Mohammad Iqbal has been suspended with immediate effect.

ARRESTS: Meanwhile, the police continued raids in different areas of the city and arrested seven more suspects on Sunday.

“We have arrested so far 20 suspects belong to defunct Lashkar Jhangvi,” SSP Quetta, Ramhat Niazi said. All of them have been handed over to the investigation teams for interrogation. The IGP Balochistan, Dr Shoaib Suddle has constituted three investigation teams comprising senior officers of police, intelligence agencies and other departments concerned.

“We are also looking for two main culprits involved in other sectarian firing incidents including killing of police recruits on June 8 last,” Mr Niazi said and added that Usman Saif and Daud Badani were wanted in at least six such incidents. He said the police have submitted cases in the courts against them. Both could not be arrested so far and the police was releasing their images in the public to help their arrest.

“We are trying to identify all the three terrorist responsible for imambargah firing,” sources told this reporter and added that some clues were found by the investigators about the terrorists who were also killed in the imambargah.

“We are not sparing any aspect of the incident including cross border involvement and sectarian terrorism,” a member of the investigating team said.

EFFORTS: The Corps Commander, Lt-Gen Shahid Hamid, visited Nachari Imambargah mosque on Sunday evening, offered fateha for the deceased and condoled with the families of the victims of the Friday’s brutal firing attack.

“We have full confidence in the army and will extend our utmost cooperation in maintaining law and order situation and harmony,” Sardar Saadat Ali Hazara, a former health minister and elder of the tribe, said on the occasion.

The Corps Commander, expressing his profound sympathy over the irreparable loss of lives, said: “All of us who have gathered here must pray to Allah almighty to nab the terrorists.”

He said the culprits were monsters as such acts could not be expected from human beings, specially Muslims.

Lt-Gen Hamid said promoting and maintaining harmony and brotherhood was a dire need, and assured the faithful that allout efforts were being made to arrest the terrorists.