SHIKARPUR: The district police on Thursday claimed to have shot dead Hafeez Pindrani Brohi and Abdullah Brohi — the alleged terrorists carrying a tag of Rs20 million and Rs5m, respectively — in a cross-border action carried out in the Dadhar area of Balochistan.

Besides a number of cases of heinous crime, the suspects were nominated in the 2015 suicide bombing of Imambargah Karbala-i-Mu’alla that had left more than 60 people dead, and Marri Ghulam Shah shrine attack that had claimed the lives of its custodian Syed Hajan Shah and five other people. Pindrani, believed to be the mastermind of all terrorism cases registered against him and his associates, was also accused of being involved the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine blast in Sehwan and Shah Noorani shrine at Lahooti La-Makaan in Balochistan.

His gang was alleged to be affiliated with the militant Islamic State Group, also known as Daesh.

The bodies were brought to Shikarpur and after their identification, the provincial police chief announced a reward of Rs2m for the raiding team.

Shikarpur ASP Farooq Amjad Batar said that the police action was supported by personnel of other law enforcement agencies. He said a raid was carried out on the gang’s hideout on a tip-off about their presence there. The gangsters were engaged in an encounter that left Hafeez Pindrani and Abdullah Brohi dead, he added.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2019