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KARACHI, Oct 19: The Sindh Home Secretary, Brigadier (Retd) Ghulam Mohammed Mohtaram, warned on Friday that threats from various quarters remained alive across the country and attacks such as that on Benzair Bhutto’s welcome convoy was not the last one.
“The threat of suicide attacks is there, be it in Karachi or any other part of the country,” he told a press conference. “One can’t stop such terrorism; even developed countries, with all their technology and resources, are helpless against such activities.”
Terming political will and mutual consideration the only way to stop such attacks, Mr Mohtaram asked political parties to foster better understanding.
In terms of Thursday’s bombing of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) procession, the home secretary ruled out any possibility of a security lapse but said that the party’s ambition to put up a successful political show had made public safety a tough job. “We apprised the local PPP leadership of the threat we had come to know about through an intelligence report and they were well aware of the situation,” he said. “Our two major reservations concerned the stretch covered by the rally and the time they chose to hold it.
We conveyed our misgivings and requested the party leadership to review plans but they refused to do that because, we believe, of political motivations.” However, he said, a couple of special vans which facilitated the jamming of mobile phones and therefore prevented wireless triggers from being detonated had been provided to the rally after clearance from federal authorities.
The government official maintained that the attack had targeted the PPP leadership and the chairperson but the brunt of it was borne by the security arrangements in place. Eight police vans escorting Ms Bhutto’s truck were damaged in the blast while more than half a dozen policemen lost their lives.
Mr Mohtaram informed the gathering that the first, minor explosion was caused by a hand grenade thrown into the crowd to disperse security personnel and clear the way for the major attack.
“However, it has not yet been established whether the suicide bomber threw the hand grenade towards the truck or whether he was assisted by someone else,” he said.
“While it is too early to pinpoint exactly who was responsible, we are confident in concluding that it was an act of religious extremism.”
The home secretary said that nuts, bolts and other parts of the bomb had been gathered, which would accelerate investigations. “It has almost been confirmed that a 15-kilogramme bomb was used,” he said, adding that a man’s head was also found at the scene of the crime but it is not yet clear whether or not it is that of the bomber. “We are conducting tests to determine its identity,” he said.
In terms of the security arrangements in place on October 18, Mr Mohtaram said that there had been threats other than that of a suicide bombing and these had been incorporated in the security plan designed in consultation with the local PPP leadership.
“The government provided every security facility demanded by the party,” he said. “We provided sharpshooters on the truck to counter any aerial attack and also made arrangements to counter sniper fire.”
Mr Mohtaram pointed out that well before the security plan was chalked out in consultation with the PPP leadership, the federal intelligence agencies had warned the provincial authorities about a possible attempt on Ms Bhutto’s life. “You can’t secure an entire political event where people can move freely and activists want to get close to their leaders,” he said. “The element of night made the situation even more complex since that is when it automatically becomes harder to ensure peoples’ security.”
