LAHORE: The six suspected terrorists who were killed in an alleged encounter with police late on Friday night were involved in carrying out Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park attack, claimed the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of police on Sunday.

At least 74 people were killed and 340 others injured when a suicide bomber exploded himself near the swings on March 27 last in the crowded park where many of the visitors had come to celebrate Easter.

Later, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s Jamatul Ahrar group spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan had claimed responsibility for the attack.

The government sprang into action and constituted a five-member team comprising officials of the police, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to probe into the carnage.

The CTD Lahore had registered a case against the unidentified perpetrators.

The CTD spokesman said that a team was taking two suspects involved in the park attack, who were identified as Shahidullah and Khanzaib, for recovery of weapons and other paraphernalia, when around eight suspects attacked the personnel around 10pm near Factory Area, Sheikhupura.

He said the attackers managed to free the suspects and fled the scene.

He said the fleeing suspects reportedly entered an under-construction vegetable market that was raided by CTD Sheikhupura team after midnight.

An exchange of fire with the suspects took place, following which six suspects were found dead, including Shahidullah and Khanzaib. The CTD seized a Kalashnikov, a rifle, two pistols and two motorcycles from the scene.

A CTD police officer on condition of anonymity told Dawn that four of the attackers who were killed in encounter were identified as Hukam Khan, Muzammil Khan, Abdul Khanan and Tawakkal Jaan.

He said Tawakal Jaan was involved in providing suicide jackets to the Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park attacker, while the remaining three had received the suicide bomber in Lahore and took him to their house in Iqbal Town where he stayed for two to three days.

He said Hukam Khan, Muzamil and Abdul Hanan allegedly also took the suicide bomber into the park in a veil and directed him to reach the crowded area near the swings and explode himself. The suspects were also present outside the park at the time of the suicide attack, he added.

He said all the six suspected terrorists who were killed in a shootout in Sheikhupura were absconders in Gulshan-i-Iqbal suicide blast case.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2017