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KARACHI: Law enforcement agencies arrested two suspected militants in different areas of Karachi on Sunday. One of them admitted that he had been working for the outlawed Al Qaeda in the Indian Sub-continent (AQIS) and had received ‘training’ in Afghanistan.
The other was a member of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s notorious Tariq Gedar group and was allegedly involved in attacks on security agencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Sohaib Tariq alias Usman, the first suspect, was taken into custody after law enforcement agencies raided a hideout in Liaquatabad’s Super Market, according to the police.
He revealed during interrogation that an AQIS militant, Talha, had introduced him to the outfit’s chief in Afghanistan’s Bahram Chah region in 2019. Sohaib received training in militancy in Bahram Chah and met two Indian citizens, Abdul Rehman and Taha.
He returned to Pakistan after a few months and started working for the banned group’s quarterly magazine, Nawai Ghazwa-i-Hind, which was shared with the outfit’s ‘sympathisers’ on the Telegram app. He was also tasked with putting online the audio and video recordings of speeches delivered by AQIS leaders, Maulana Asim Umer, Sheikh Osama Mehmood and others.
Sohaib Tariq said he had gone underground after three of his accomplices were arrested. He identified them as Mohammed alias Arman, Abu Urwa and Abdul Manan.
The police said they had recovered one pistol, one hand-grenade, three mobile phones and an unspecified amount in cash from Sohaib.
The other suspect, Mohammad Shah alias Ding, was taken into custody by the Counter-Terrorism Department after a raid in Metroville, SITE.
Mohammad Shah, who belonged to the outlawed TTP’s Tariq Gedar group, was “planning to activate the TTP’s network in Karachi,” according to a CTD spokesperson. Security agencies blame the Gedar group for a rocket attack on a checkpoint of the Frontier Corps in Azakhail.
On July 17 this year, the spokesperson added, Mohammad Shah carried out an attack on police in Matna, leaving two cops — Jan Ali and Akber — martyred.
“Shah was also involved in extorting money from several people in Darra Adam Khel.”
Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2022
