RAWALPINDI: A male terrorist and a sub-inspector were killed during a police raid at a house while two female terrorist detonated explosives material and hand grenades, killing themselves and two children in Rawalpindi suburbs. An ASI of the Elite Force and two constables were also wounded in the intelligence agencies-led night operation and Elite Force’s midnight raid at a house in Iqbal Town of Mohra Farqeeran, near Dhamial, where the ‘terrorist family’ was residing, , sources disclosed to The Nation yesterday. The condition of the ASI was told to be critical.
According to sources, the personnel of intelligence agencies along with Elite Force commandoes around 1:30am surrounded a double storey building, adjacent to SKS Montessori School. As the operation started, one of the two female terrorists unpinned a hand grenade and detonated other explosive material in desperation. The law enforcement agencies also arrested three suspected terrorists from the house, besides recovering two live hand grenades, three 9mm pistols and five mobile phones, 20-25 SIM cards of different networks and an old model Mitsubishi Lancer car bearing Karachi registration number S-0303, sources added.
The deceased SI was identified as Irshad Ahmed and the injured ASI as Ibrar. The injured constables were Tehseen Shah and Abdul Rehman. The members of the family killed during encounter with raiding team were identified as Qaiser Mustafa, his wife Humaira Qaiser, their sons Faizan (10) and Muhammad (7), and Malqa Khatoon. They originally belonged to Hajeera, Azad and Jammu Kashmir. The family has reportedly been residing in the rented house for last one and half years and had not registered with Police Station (PS) Saddar Bairooni as per 11 Punjab Information of Temporary Residence. They had not been combed in operations under National Action Plan, sources and locals said.
Sources said the raiding ream asked the terrorists on mega phones to surrender but the house inhabitants resorted to firing at the police, killing the ASI on the spot. The police retaliated and shot dead a male terror suspect. A police officer, seeking anonymity, told The Nation that the terrorists gave the raiding party tough time. He said that Humaira Qaiser hurled hand grenades at the children and killed them when she felt they might be arrested. He added that Malqa Khatoon was wearing suicide vest and she blew it, killing herself and Humaira to evade arrest. The sound of blasts was so high that it was heard even miles away while thick black clouds of smoke emitted from the house during the firefight. A Pakistan Army helicopter, flown from Qasim Aviation Base, provided air surveillance.
Soon after the operation, Pakistan Army and police combed nearby areas in Mohra Faqeeran to arrest other suspects while on the other hand army and police kept patrolling in streets of Dhamial to maintain law and order situation. The injured were shifted to DHQ Hospital for medical treatment. “We have discharged constable Abdul Rehman of Elite Force after providing him medical treatment while condition of ASI Ibrar is very serious,” a doctor told this scribe.
After clearance, the area residents thronged the double-storey building to see it. “The terrorist family has been living in the house for last one and half years. They had two children who never talked to or played with other children of area,” said a female neighbor. She added that the family members never interacted with them. “Once I organised Quran Khawani and invited the two females to attend it but they did not come,” she said. She claimed that some suspected people kept visiting the house late night in big vehicles.
It has further been learnt that the said house is owned by Muhammad Ishtiaq, son of Noor Hussain, and was rented in August 2014 by Qaisar Mustafa, son of Muhammad Asif Mustafa, who hails from Hajira area of AJK. Qaisar got this house through the reference of a schoolteacher Shahnaz, a resident of Palandari, AJK. Shahnaz teaches at a local private school, SKS Montessori, which is adjacent to the raided house. City Police Officer (CPO) Israr Ahmed Khan Abbasi claimed before the media that timely action of police had saved Rawalpindi from a big devastation. He said that police carried out the operation on intelligence based information that terrorists were hiding in the area of PS Saddar Bairooni. He said that police party was conducting search operation when the terrorists showed resistance and opened fire on police.
But DSP Saddar Circle Sajid Gondal said that no search operation was conducted ever by Saddar Bairooni Police in Jorian, Dhamial and Mohra Faqeeran. “We overlooked the area of Iqbal Town as the population of the area was scattered,” he said while talking to The Nation. On a query, he said that the family was living in rented house for last one and half years; had not inked rental agreement with house owner and never passed information to the police station concerned. “Police killed five terrorist in an encounter. SI of Elite Force was also killed by firing of terrorist. Later, police killed the terrorist,” Sajid Gondal replied in response to another query.
No case had been registered at Saddar Bairooni Police and Counter Terrorism Department was yet to decide which of them will lodge the case. The funeral prayer of deceased SI Irshad Ahmed was held at Police Line Number 1 and attended by RPO Wisal Fakhar Sultan Raja, CPO Israr Ahmed Khan Abbasi, SSP Operations Karamat Ullah Malik and others. RPO Wisal Fakhar Sultan Raja, while taking to media, said that police always rendered sacrifices for saving the lives and properties of the people. He said that the terrorist killed in the encounter was a close aide of Qari Suhail, the alleged mastermind of suicide attack on Punjab home minister Col (r) Shuja Khanzada in Attock.
An official source said that one of arrested terrorists is Abid, son of Younas, resident of Mirza village of Attock district. Abid is also believed to be a close associate of Qari Sohail. Some locals residing in suburbs of Jorian and Saeed Dam area told this scribe that they have noticed the presence of five to six suspects in the forest of Dhamial (commonly known as Rakh). They demanded the RPO search operation in the jungle to purge it from suspects.