KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah announced on Monday that the Counter Terrorism Department arrested two suspected militants belonging to the outlawed Lashkar-i-Jhangvi for their alleged involvement in the targeted killing of famed qawwal Amjad Sabri, personnel of the army, Rangers and police and several other killings on sectarian grounds.

The announcement by the provincial chief executive, who also keeps the portfolio of home affairs with him, came at a press conference held at the Central Police Office. Inspector General of Police A. D. Khowaja, CTD chief Sanaullah Abbasi, Karachi police chief Mushtaq Mahar and CM’s Adviser on Information Maula Bux Chandio were also present.

The CM said that a CTD team led by Raja Umer Khattab arrested the two suspects — Ishaq alias Bobby and Asim alias Capri — in a Liaquatabad area on Monday and seized three sub-machine guns, two snatched MP-5 rifles, 27 pistols, hand-grenades and improvised explosive devices.

The CM said that a forensic analysis of the weapons confirmed that the same weapons had been used in 28 high-profile cases.

CM says the held suspects are involved in the killing of 29 security personnel also

He said that in addition to police both military and civilian intelligence agencies also interrogated the held suspects and they had “conclusive proof” about the involvement of the held LJ militants in these cases.

About Amjad Sabri’s killing that took place on June 23 in Liaquatabad, he said that held suspect Asim alias Capri was Mr Sabri’s neighbour and he killed him because of sectarian motives as he used to attend majlis.

The CM said that in the past many news had been aired with regard to the arrest of Sabri’s killers and their possible motives, but it was for the first time that his government was announcing that “this case has also been solved with conclusive proof”.

He said that the held suspects were also involved in the Oct 29 targeted attack outside a Nazimabad house, where a Muharram majlis for women was in progress in which five persons, including three brothers, were killed. They were also involved in a grenade attack on another majlis for women in F.C. Area on Oct 17, he added.

He said that they were directly involved in killing of two Army personnel near CDGK Parking Plaza in Saddar on July 26. This gang targeted two traffic personnel near Ayesha Manzil in Federal B. Area on May 21.

The suspects also gunned down seven policemen guarding polio workers in Orangi Town on April 20, he said, adding that on Dec1, 2015 they had killed two military police personnel near Tibet Centre and targeted four Rangers personnel in Ittehad Town on Nov 20.

They also targeted senior lawyer Syed Amir Haider Shah on Aug 29, 2015 near Hasan Square, he said.

The CM said that efforts were underway to arrest their mastermind.

Talking about other recent killings, the chief minister hoped that the Nov 4 killing of six people, including three members of the banned Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, would be resolved shortly.

He believed that the investigators had got some leads from “one old case” and the culprits would be apprehended soon

He conceded that some sectarian killings had taken place apparently as a reaction of earlier killings of the members of Shia community.

Meanwhile, the CTD said that the held suspects belonging to the LJ’s Naeem Bukhari group.

Data provided by the CTD claimed that the suspects had allegedly killed 14 Shia, 21 policemen, four soldiers, as many Rangers personnel, four Muttahida Qaumi Movement workers and one lawyer.

In 2013, suspect Capri was arrested by the then CID police led by slain SP Chaudhry Aslam for his alleged involvement in the assassination of MQM lawmaker Sajid Qureshi and his son in North Nazimabad.

CTD official Raja Umer Khattab said that he was enlarged on bail in 2015.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2016