KARACHI: Sindh has deployed hundreds of police personnel along its border with Balochistan after investigators found that the suspects involved in the last month’s two terrorist attacks in Shikarpur had come from the neighbouring province.

The decision has been taken to stop suspects from entering Sindh, sources and senior official said on Tuesday.

One policeman died and at least 12 people were injured when the twin suicide attacks targeted Eidul Azha prayers.

Earlier in 2015, a suicide blast ripped through in one of the main Imambargahs in the same town during Friday prayers, killing over 60 people and leaving scores others injured.

Investigations into the last month’s foiled attacks convinced the authorities that its planners, handlers and perpetrators had from the neighbouring province. The findings pushed the Sindh authorities to take up the matter with their Balochistan counterparts and tighten security along the border and as the first step they have deployed the policemen on key border points. The Sindh authorities are waiting for the Balochistan government to take the same measures on their side of the border.

“We have deployed a total of 400 policemen on our side of the border,” Sindh IGP A.D. Khowaja confirmed in response to a Dawn query. “The move is part of our plan to keep an eye on suspects and we have been coordinating with the Balochistan authorities at every level. I personally contacted the Balochistan IG and our [Sindh] chief minister has interacted with his counterpart in Quetta for better and coordinated efforts for security arrangements,” he said.

Thirteen people were injured, including five policemen, when law-enforcement agencies foiled the two suicide blasts during Eid prayers in Shikarpur’s Khanpur tehsil. Two attackers targeted an Eid prayer ground where one assailant blew himself up, injuring 10 people. The other attacker fled.

Two other terrorists were stopped by the police at the entrance of an Imambargah after their movement appeared suspicious. During body search one of the attackers blew himself up but the other was shot at and arrested.

One of the injured policemen later died.

The police said that the arrested suspect, identified as Usman, provided important information during interrogation.

“The police probe showed that Usman along with Abdul Rehman, who blew himself up, reached Shikarpur by a motorbike after travelling for three hours,” said a senior official. “The probe suggested that they had stayed somewhere in Jaffarabad, a district in Balochistan. Usman was a resident of Swat’s Qabal tehsil and had studied in Karachi’s Abu Huraira seminary.”

The official said that the move to tighten security at the border was initiated after the January 2015 attack. However, the border security plan failed to meet the reality checks from both sides and finally got the authorities’ attention after the last month’s incident.

“In 2015 as well as the last month, unfortunately, the planners, handlers and attackers all used Balochistan land and entered Sindh hours before the incidents,” the official said. “So it was realised that it’s very crucial to keep an eye on key points if not all along the border,” he added.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2016