ISLAMABAD: Preliminary investigations into the terrorist attack which claimed the life of Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada and 18 others on August 16 have revealed that serious security lapses occurred, a senior Punjab government official told Dawn on Wednesday.

The official said that no security barrier had been erected on any side of the home minister’s ancestral home, where the blast occurred, despite serious threats to his life.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP)-Special Branch Rana Shahid was also removed from his post on Wednesday, for ‘failing to provide proper intelligence’ regarding the threats to the minister’s life.

The Punjab government has also established a three-member committee to compile a report on the possible security breach, to be submitted within 72 hours. The committee is headed by Rawalpindi Commissioner Zahid Saeed and includes Sargodha Regional Police Officer (RPO) Zulfiqar Hameed and Sihala Police Academy Commandant Suhail Tajik.

Special Branch SSP removed; committee constituted to probe security breach

According to a source, the report will scrutinise the security measures put in place for the protection of the prominent leaders of the ruling party. Security loopholes will be identified and senior officials from other divisions have been included to carry out a third-party evaluation.

Talking to Dawn, Commissioner Zahid Saeed questioned the effectiveness of security measures put in place by the local police. “Despite reports of possible terrorist activities in the area, the attacker managed to reach the site,” he said.

The commissioner said that the provincial government would take action against negligent officials. He said security alerts were issued ahead of Independence Day, but law enforcement agencies failed to tighten security around ministers and other important officials.

He said the three-member committee would only focus on security measures, as other departments were already investigating the incident.

On Wednesday, the committee members visited Shaadi Khan Village and met residents of the village as well as officials of the local police and administration. The commissioner said that the committee members had also sought the forensic report and will send their final report to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Thursday, after reviewing the forensic evidence.

When asked if he had observed security breaches during his visit to the site of the bomb blast on Wednesday, the commissioner said it was difficult to judge the level of security during a post incident visit. “However, there might be some negligence on the part of the police,” he said.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Zahid Saeed also briefed media personnel, at the site of the blast in Shaadi Khan Village on Wednesday. He said three teams: a Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which includes officials from police, civil and military intelligence agencies, a team from Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and a team of local police were investigating the case separately.

Newsmen were told that the late Punjab Home Minister visited his dera twice on Sunday morning.

A local police officer told Dawn that Shuja Khanzada was scheduled to attend a wedding ceremony at 11:15 am at a nearby village and this information was shared over the police wireless system, for security and protocol purposes.

The officer admitted that the attackers probably had information about the minister’s movements and knew that he would stop at the dera, before leaving for the wedding.

Meanwhile, the commissioner told the media personnel that it is yet to be determined whether there was one bomb blast or two. Investigators were attempting to collect details about the attacker such as his facilitators, terrorist group affiliations and ethnicity, he said.

The commissioner said ball bearings have been found from the site. “Some of the victims were killed in the bomb blast and others died when the roof collapsed,” he said.

He declined to comment when asked if any arrests had been made, but said a banned terrorist outfit had already claimed responsibility for the attack and the claim is being investigated.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2015

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