RAWALPINDI: After Islamabad police registered a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act, a joint investigation team (JIT) has been formed to investigate Sunday’s attack on media personnel returning from a public meeting in the capital.

The Islamabad police chief had formed a special team led by SP Rizwan Omer Gondal to investigate the case.

The police team and bomb disposal experts visited the crime scene on Monday, spoke to some witnesses and collected evidence.

The bomb disposal experts found a few pieces of metal but not any ball bearings, bolts or parts of a hand grenade.

According to sources, the experts said in their report that the attackers had used crackers which contained about 20 grams of explosives.

The report said the attackers sped off towards Rawal Lake after the explosion.

Special team, led by SP Rizwan Omer Gondal, to probe the case

Inspector Khalid Awan of Aabpara police said no arrest had yet been made, but the case had been registered under Section 7 of the ATA and a joint investigation team comprising officials of police, Special Branch, Intelligence Bureau and other intelligence agencies had been formed.

Replying to a question, he said there had been no specific threat to the media covering the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s public meeting.

The attack took place when digital satellite newsgathering (DSNG) engineer Ziaul Haq and a cameraman of DawnNews from the Faisalabad office were going back after covering the event and both of them were injured. They were recovering gradually and doctors allowed them to leave for Faisalabad with an advice to rest for a couple of days.

“I suffered wounds on my thigh, left foot and knees. I lay down on the ground on hearing the sound of the first cracker that was hurled a bit away from us but the second cracker was hurled close to our DSNG van and its pieces hit us,” Mr Haq said.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2014