KARACHI: A suspected militant, said to be associated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was shot dead in an ‘intelligence-based operation (IBO)’ in the Moachko area on Wednesday, police said.

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said that the alleged militant had been declared an absconder by an anti-terrorism court in the case of the 2023 brazen attack on Karachi Police Office (KPO) and he was also the main accused in the March 2013 Abbas Town bomb blast that claimed the lives of 47 persons.

“The CTD carried out an IBO on Northern Bypass and killed TTP militant Umer Farooq, alias Doctor, in an encounter,” said a CTD press release.

It added that a few days ago the Sindh home department had issued a threat alert in which it was stated that the suspect had been given a special task [by terrorists] for carrying out “terror activities in Karachi”. The alert also stated that the suspect was “reviving his network” in the metropolis.

CTD says a court had declared suspect Umer Farooq absconder in February 2023 Karachi Police Office attack case

The CTD and an intelligence agency launched a manhunt for the suspect through their ‘informers’.

On Wednesday night, acting on a tip-off, the CTD team carried out a raid near Hanfia Masjid on Northern Bypass where the suspect was waiting for someone. On seeing the police, he resorted to firing to avoid his arrest, the police said, adding that the law enforcers returned fire and arrested the suspect in wounded condition. However, he died on way to the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi.

The CTD claimed that a bullet fired by the suspect also hit a police officer but he s remained safe because he was wearing a bulletproof jacket.

A 9mm pistol was recovered from his possession. “The killed terrorist was declared an absconder by the ATC in the KPO attack case,” the CTD statement added.

In February 2023, three policemen and a civilian were killed while 18 law enforcers wounded when three TTP militants wearing suicide jackets stormed the KPO in February 2023. One militant blew himself up while two others were shot dead in hours-long joint operation by police, Rangers and the army.

The CTD statement said that the slain suspect Umer Farooq was also the ‘main accused’ in the 2013 Abbas Town bomb blast case in which 47 people were killed and 135 others injured.

The suspect had been arrested by the CTD in the past, but acquitted. “The killed suspect was arrested in 10 cases of murder, attempted murder and terrorism but he was acquitted,” said the CTD statement.

The CTD said that after being exonerated from all charges and released from prison, the suspect had gone to Afghanistan.

Cop shot at, wounded in ‘targeted attack’

An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of police was shot at and wounded in a suspected targeted attack near Tibet Centre on Wednesday, police said.

They added that ASI Muhammad Naseer, 45, was shot in the leg by unidentified gunmen within the remit of the Preedy police station. He was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for treatment.

DIG-South Syed Asad Raza said that the ASI was posted in Security-1 and was deputed with a judge as his security guard.

He was coming from the City Courts on his motorcycle when four armed men riding two motorcycles, who were apparently chasing him, opened fire on him, snatched his official pistol and fled.

The officer suffered a bullet wound in the leg.

The DIG said that this was the second such incident in district South, as earlier on July 12, Head Constable Khalid Ali Khan, 40, was shot by armed men at the Defence Library signal. He was also posted in ‘Security’ and a guard of a senior bureaucrat. The attackers also took away his official rifle.

The DIG apprehended that an organised group was apparently targeting policemen. “We cannot be certain about involvement of militants of banned outfits, but it seems the policemen are being targeted in the metropolis,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2024