LAHORE: The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan-Khurasani group is behind the Charing Cross bombing, an investigation report by the Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) reveals.

Mullah Farman, second to Khurasani, had managed the entry of suicide attacker Nasarullh to Pakistan from Afghanistan. Anwarul Haq, the facilitator of the bombing, received Nasarullah at Torkham Border and took him to his Lahore residence in Bhagatpura.

Haq, Abdullah, Attaur Rehman, Imam Shah, Irfan Khan and five other unidentified militants were killed in an ‘encounter’ with personnel late on Friday.

Mullah Farman had also managed a ‘secured’ delivery of the suicide jacket to the attacker in Lahore through Kahteebullah, alias Anas, of Mohmand Agency which was finally delivered at a temporary address of Haq in Sanda area near Bund Road.A prolong protest of chemist association at Charing Cross provided a vulnerable situation to the militants to carry out the bombing.

Haq’s yet to be arrested brother Abu Huraira is an expert in preparing suicide jackets, who also put the vest on the attacker at his residence before going for the bombing.

Haq later took the suicide attacker to the Charing Cross on a motorcycle and guided him to target the police officers and left the scene.

Up to 15 people, including Traffic DIG Syed Ahmed Mobin and SSP Zahid Gondal died in the blast.A senior CTD official, seeking anonymity, told Dawn that officials had yet to identify the five suspects killed in encounter, adding the families of five identified militants had also not arrived at the morgue to collect their bodies.

He said a case has been registered with the CTD Police Station under various sections and teams were constituted to arrest the runaway terror suspects.

He said the latest attack on Army personnel and census officials on Baidian Road which killed seven people including four soldiers had increased chances of more such attacks on law-enforcement officials.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2017