KARACHI, May 25: Police investigators on Wednesday approached the Kahuta Research Laboratories in Islamabad to trace the ethnic origin of the four militants who had raided PNS Mehran on Sunday night.

The investigators told that they had dispatched four DNA samples obtained from the remains of the raiders to the KRL Islamabad, which reportedly had a gene database of different ethnicities around the world.

The responsibility for the audacious attack, which left 10 security personnel dead, 15 others wounded, two PC-3 Orion aircraft destroyed, was claimed by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan who said the raiders did it with the assistance of 'local friends'.

“Tests would be carried out to ascertain the ethnic profiles of the militants who had raided the base,” said SSP Investigation East Niaz Ahmed Khosa. The SSP quoted a KRL scientist as saying that the KRL had the gene database of different ethnicities across the world.

Once the results were received they would resolve different theories swirling around the ethnic origins of the attackers, the SSP said.

It is being speculated that the two identifiable militants were Uzbeks, however, some say they seem Pakhtuns.

“The results will be issued within 15 days,” the officials said. According to them, a DNA test for tracing ethnic origins of suspects has never been conducted in any criminal or terrorism case in the country so far.

Fingerprints

The investigators also sent photographs and fingerprints of the suspects to the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) in an attempt to identify them, sources said.

The system was being run for a possible match, they said. However, results had not been obtained so far, they added.

It is worth recalling here that one of the suicide bombers in the twin bombings at the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine in Karachi on Oct 7, 2010 was identified as Badshah Khan, resident of Waziristan, through his fingerprints which matched with the Nadra record.

Post-mortem examination

Officials said that the remains, including four legs and a damaged skull, of two raiders who had blown themselves up inside a constructed structure were collected along with the bodies of two other militants once the forces regained the control of the base following a 16-hour siege. The bodies and the remains were shifted to the Civil Hospital Karachi for a post-mortem examination.

The two militants were well-built and had a fair complexion.

While giving his expert opinion, the police surgeon stated that by the looks of the two bodies it could be said that they were around 18 to 20 years.

Following the post-mortem examination, the bodies and the remains were shifted to the Edhi morgue. So far, no one had turned up to claim the two bodies, the officials said.