KARACHI: Officials investigating the assassination of SP Mohammad Aslam Khan suspected that terrorists had a backup plan and they were ready to use another vehicle on the Lyari Expressway if the first explosive-laden vehicle failed to detonate, it emerged on Sunday.

Based on the statements of some witnesses, the police investigators said that there might have been two vehicles, including the one that had blown.

SSP-CID Operations Niaz Ahmed Khoso said that two vehicles were seen parked near a toll tax kiosk, which is manned by the Motorway police, on the Lyari Expressway for a considerable period.

SSP Khoso, who is also a member of the CID probe team led by DIG-CID Zafar Bukhari, said that the witnesses told the investigators that they saw the vehicles there at around 11-12 noon on Jan 9. These vehicles were seen moving toward a ramp of the Lyari Expressway about half an hour before the suicide attack, he added.

He said only one vehicle was used in the suicide attack while the second vehicle could not be traced so far. The CID official opined that it was not something unusual in such terror attacks, as the terrorists previously used two vehicles to target then President Pervez Musharraf.

SP Aslam, better known as Chaudhry Aslam, along with two guards – Sub-Inspector Mohammad Kamran and Constable Farhan Ahmed – was killed in suicide attack on the Lyari Expressway within the remit of the PIB Colony police station on Jan 9. Five policemen and nine civilians were wounded in the attack.

The banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed responsibility of the attack and subsequently a murder case was registered against TTP chief Mullah Fazlullah and others.

Promotion for CID personnel

Inspector General of Police Shahid Nadeem Baloch has announced one-step promotions for all policemen working in the CID.

A police spokesman said that the Sindh police chief took this decision while chairing a meeting at his office.

The meeting reviewed the progress so far made in the case of assassination of SP Aslam and his two guards The decision to promote CID men was apparently taken to recognise their efforts to fight against the criminals and terrorists.

One official privy to the meeting told Dawn that only constables and head constables would get one-step promotion.

This promotion was not for senior officers, the official said, adding that around 500 policemen of CID would likely to get benefit of this decision.