MIANWALI, Jan 16: Police claimed on Wednesday to have foiled a terrorism bid when it arrested three ‘potential car bombers’ when their car had an accident on Bannu-Mianwali Road on Dec 21.

The ‘potential bombers’ later revealed to the police that former federal minister Sumaira Malik belonging to neighbouring Khushab district was their target; and had they not been struck in the accident, she would have gone the next day in a suicide attack.

Talking to reporters at the Police Lines here on Wednesday, Regional Police Officer (RPO) Hamid Mukhtar Gondal and District Police Officer (DPO) Malik Abdul Aziz said a car (H-4739 Peshawar) had an accident near Kabol Khel Mor, Isakhel, on Bannu-Mianwali Road.

Punjab Highway Patrolling Police (PHPP) personnel, headed by Abdul Karim Khan, reached the scene and found a man injured and his two accomplices carrying some suspected packets fleeing. The PHPP men took all of them in custody.

The PHPP personnel also found a battery hidden under backseat of the car with explosives and remote control networking.

The injured was hospitalised and was later identified as Wasif Ali Shah of Bannu. An identity card of the Bannu’s degree college was also found from his possession.

The other two were later identified as Niaz Bahadur and Abdul Rahman of Dawar Darpakhel, Miranshah.

Later, the patrolling police personnel handed over the three ‘militants’ to Isakhel police, who registered a case against them under sections 4 and 5 of the Explosives Act and relevant provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

During interrogation, the militants revealed that they were on their way from Miranshah to Bhakkar where they had to stay with relatives of Niaz Bahadur in Bihar Sharqi village that night, the RPO added.

According to the RPO, the ‘terrorists’ admitted to have planned attacking a political meeting of Sumaira Malik in Khushab the next day.

The ‘militants’ said they belonged to terrorist groups, headed by Faqiro and Darpa, who were working under the supervision of Maulvi Said Khan, the superintendent of Fazal Qadar seminary in Miranshah’s main bazaar.

Maulvi Said Khan is further linked to Baitullah Mehsud, a known tribal leader fighting against security forces in Waziristan.

The RPO said the ‘outlaws’ revealed that one Ghulam Nabi was spearheading all suicide attacks in Punjab.

The Mehsud group threatened the DPO that he would face the music for arresting their comrades, the RPO added.

The DPO said the ‘militants’ told the interrogators that their spiritual leader had given them the task to sacrifice their lives for a noble cause, and Sumaira was their prime target because of her allegedly uttering derogatory remarks against Islam in a TV programme.

The DPO said suicide bombers were being paid heavy amounts for carrying out such attacks. He said they had been brainwashed in such a manner that they were ready to kill even their biological fathers if their spiritual leader directed them to do so.

According to the DPO, Niaz Bahadur was imparted training of manufacturing and planting explosives in Afghanistan.

The police produced two masked ‘militants’, Niaz Bahadur and Abdul Rehman, before the media team.

On the insistence of the media personnel, their masks were removed. The ‘militants’ appeared to be youngsters between 20 to 25 years of age, while they wore beards on their ‘apparently’ calm faces.

The DPO said they were on remand and investigation was still in progress. He said more arrests in this connection were likely.