KARACHI: Blast caused by suicide bomber, says expert: Nishtar Park tribunal
By Shujaat Ali Khan
KARACHI, June 19: The Nishtar Park blast must have been triggered by a suicide bomber with an improvised, highly explosive plastic device, the city’s bomb disposal unit chief told the tribunal probing the April 11 incident.
Expressing his opinion at the tribunal’s request, Inspector Mohammad Iqbal of the police special branch’s security wing said the blast must have occurred four or five feet above the ground level.
The device being highly explosive used up all the combustible material and left no trace and caused no crater on the ground or elsewhere, he said. The bomb required a detonator, a battery, and a push button type instrument to complete the circuit to trigger the blast. It was a ‘carried bomb’ and not a planted device. The pellets ejected by it travel in all directions, he said.
The tribunal, which consists of Justice Rahmat Hussain Jafferi of the Sindh High Court, meanwhile, asked the Site Town police officer to secure the stage material lying in the ARY digital network store after preparing a mashirnama and produce it before the tribunal. ARY programmes director Khalil Warsi earlier handed over three drawings of the stage as prepared on April 10. The channel was allowed to dismantle the stage on May 12, a month after the blast, and investigation police took custody of the pipes bearing pellet marks and plywood sheets carrying bloodstains. The remaining material was taken away by the ARY fabricator of the stage, Syed Naeem Ali, who also recorded his statement on Monday.
Testifying earlier, Inspector Iqbal said he joined the army as a non-commissioned soldier in 1964. He received training at the ordnance centre, Malir Cantonment, and also passed an ammunition examination course. He was promoted as Subedar major in 1984 and retired in 1988. He joined the bomb disposal unit in 1998 and became its chief in 2001 on incumbent Mueeruddin’s death. He defused a bomb outside the commissioner’s office soon after becoming the unit chief and was given a commendation certificate by the commissioner.
The witness said he made arrangements for April 11 in accordance with a security plan drawn up be the SSP (security). Sub-inspector Musaab Husain, who was responsible for sweeping and physical checking of the public meeting venue and the procession route met him at Memon Masjid at 2-30 pm on April 11 and told him that sweeping had been completed. He received a call from the Jamshed Town police officer for sweeping of Nishtar Park. He went to the police control room outside the park and told the TPO that sweeping had been done. The TPO asked him to check the vehicles parked just outside the ground in the meanwhile. He checked the vehicles. No separate certificate was issued after the checking.
He was at the Old Numaish chowrangi when he heard the sound of the blast about 7-05 pm. Along with an ASI and a constable, he sped to the park in his official car. He reached the park about 7-20 pm and checked the stage and the ground. Except for blood spilt here and there, the stage was intact. He checked the stage inside out but found no crater. There were pellet holes only in the front pipes supporting the stage. The pipes affixed horizontally had more holes. Asked whether he tried to get hold of pellets, he said there was tremendous rush of people and many of them were collecting articles lying on the ground. He could not take out pellets from the pipes, he said.
The inspector denied a suggestion by the Pakistan Sunni Movement counsel, Javaid Ahmed Chhatari, that the five mobile vans placed at the disposal of the bomb disposal unit mostly remained in private use of the special branch officials. He travelled by public transport normally.
He said there was no explosive device, even the one using plastic, that did not have some metal and metal detector could easily detect ant bomb. Even a plastic bomb required a detonator, which must have metal in it.
It was incorrect to suggest that a bomb made of sulphur and potassium could be exploded without a detonator. The counsel said a mixture of sulphur and potassium could be detonated with mercury carried by the would-be bomber in his sleeve.
Every explosive material, the witness said, emits vapours and no explosive could thus escape detection by the gravity vapour detector available with the bomb disposal unit. He agreed that the pipes carrying pellet holes were not sent to the PCSIR for chemical analysis.
The tribunal asked the witness to produce the log book and daily register showing the movement of the unit’s vehicles and officials as requested by Advocate Chhatari. Additional Advocate-General Sarwar Khan said he would produce the duty officer along with the record. The inspector’s cross-examination will continue on Tuesday.
Concluding his statement, Mr Warsi of ARY said the stage was erected at a height of six feet and three inches. Stairs were provided to climb it. A movie was made at the time of its dismantling on May 12. Syed Naeem Ali, the designer, endorsed the programme director’s testimony in his own deposition.
