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LAHORE -- The provincial capital was left bleeding once again afteranother terror attack ripped through a police vehicle parked outsideGate 2 of famous Sufi shrine Data Darbar.
Initial investigations suggested that it was a suicide attack andthe target this time too was the law-enforcement agencies. Since 2018,it was the fifth suicide attack in Lahore.
All these attacks including Raiwind Road blast, Ferozpur Road Blast,Bedian Road blast, Mall Road blast and the recent one i.e. Data Darbarblast, have specifically targeted at the law-e-enforcement agencies.
Unfortunately, the investigators could not make a breakthrough asfar as busting the suspected networks and the arrest of the attackersand facilitators was concerned in these attacks except Mall Roadblast.
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In Mall Road blast, at least 18 people including DIG Mobeen and SSPZahid Nawaz Gondal were killed and dozens were injured. It had occurredwhen police had gathered to provide security to the protesters and DIGMobeen and SSP Zahid Nawaz had come for negotiations. In the blast, thesuspected suicide bomber was transported to the site with the help of afacilitator identified as Anwarul Haq. The Punjab Safe Cities Authority(PSCA) cameras had captured Anwar and the attacker.
Anwar was later on killed in April, 2018 in an encounter by CounterTerrorism Department Punjab (CTD) a few days after the Bedian Roadblast. No other head way was made regarding the attack.
Anti-Organised Crime Cell of Lahore Police had arrested few suspectsinvolved in running an illegal telephone exchange used forgrey-trafficking. They were arrested after a threatening phone call wasreceived by the PSCA Lahore. The caller had intimidated them for theirrole in pointing out the bomber and Anwar. Police, duringinvestigations, had found that a member of the gang was running a mobilephone shop where SIMs were issued. He would fraudulently get issuedextra bio-metric SIMs from the visiting customers.
The number used in making a phone call to the PSCA was registeredagainst a doctor who was living in Canada. Except busting the gangmembers running the exchange, the investigators could not identify anylink to who made the call.
In Raiwind Road blast in March, 2018, at least 12 people includingpolicemen had died while 35 otehrs were injured. The attacker hadtargeted a police post when the shift was being changed on the occasionof Tableeghi Jamat's congregation. The investigators could notidentify the modus operandi of the suspect, the way he used to reach thetarget and any facilitator.
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In Bedian Road Blast in April 2017, at least eight people werekilled while several were injured and a census team was targeted. In theblast, the target was government officials and not public. This case isyet to be solved as far the identification of modus operandi and thefacilitators was concerned, no progress was made.
Similar was the case with July 2017 Ferozpur Road blast in which atleast 27 among people including police officials were killed and severalwere injured.
The policemen had geared up to vacate a plot on thegovernment's whim that was being used as a vegetable market. Theinvestigators in this also could not identify where did the attackerlanded, what was his modus operandi to hit the target. There were alsono clues to the handlers and facilitators of the attacker.
Sharing about the context of exclusively targeting thelaw-enforcement agencies by Jamatul Ahrar, an offshoot ofTehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an official seeking anonymity, said thedecision was taken during a meeting of the banned outfit'sleadership in an area in Afghanistan bordering Pakistan.
In the meeting, a debate had ensued about the nature of target inthe context of widespread criticism invoked due to the killing of thepublic including children in targeted terror attacks. The meeting haddecided not to target public gatherings also termed as soft targets thatincluded markets, bus stations, funerals and marriage gatherings.
A leader of the organisation in a video message after the meetinghad announced at least eight types of targets, all were eithergovernment installations, LEAs or banks, would be targeted.
After the change in policy by the outfit regarding nature of thetarget, a policy shift in their operations ie modus operandi has alsotaken place.
The inability to solve three major terror attacks; Raiwind Road,Ferozpur Road and Bedian Road despite the passing of over a year raisesserious questions about the role of CTD and other LEAs in dealing withthe new trend of terror attacks.
Efforts were made to contact Additional IG CTD Punjab Rai Tahir, whohas been heading the wing for long, for his comments but he did notrespond.
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