While TTP immediately distanced itself from the Police Lines bombing, JUA claimed responsibility for the attack, showing that JUA has either parted ways with TTP or TTP has failed to tame its subsidiary group.

PESHAWAR   -    While a question mark still hangs over the culprits of the recent bomb­ing at the Police Lines here, the inci­dent has opened a sea of questions.

Soon after the bombing, the po­lice told media that it was a suicide bombing. Later on, Inspector Gener­al of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari said that the suicide attacker had been spotted as the footage was wide­ly shared on the social media con­cerning how the bomber enters the Police Lines to detonate explosives in the mosque. The IGP said the in­vestigators had also recovered ball bearings, which are normally used in the jackets of suicide attackers.

Also, there have been reports about arrests in the case and that the motorcycle used in the bombing had also been traced.

On the other hand, the Tehreek Taliban Pakistan has announced they are not involved in the bombing and that they do not attack mosques, which are worship places. However, an audio message attributed to Ja­maatul Ahrar was shared in various WhatsApp groups, saying that they had perpetrated the Police Lines sui­cide bombing to avenge the killing of their leader Omar Khalid Khurasani.

It merits a mention here that the Koocha Risaldar blast in Peshawar had also not been claimed by TTP, but that had been claimed by Daesh. The Police Lines bombing too was initially considered to be a handi­work of Daesh when TTP distanced itself from it. However, JUA claimed it later on.

A security official, with knowl­edge about militant organisations, said that Jamaat Ul Ahrar seemed to have involved in the bombing. Hav­ing a close watch on militant activi­ties, the official said that Daesh and JUA were very much similar in their ideologies and both are considered even more lethal than the TTP.

He said the JUA, though part of the TTP, is considered a little bit of “re­bellious” of the TTP in terms of its actions and attacks.

“TTP is a little bit different from Daesh as TTP leaders now try to fol­low Afghan Taliban in that they try to maintain a public image too and they also try to get people’s sympa­thies while explaining why they tar­get a place. However, Daesh doesn’t consider any positive image in pub­lic but they can strike any area whether it is a mosque or another place,” he added.

The official said that even if the JUA had a hand in the Police Lines bombing, still it was part of the TTP, which means the entire group is to blame. “One problem is that because of power struggle within the TTP, its leadership sometimes faces prob­lem in disciplining JUA militants who sometimes attack a target with­out even taking TTP chief into confi­dence. This is why, JUA militants are more lethal and even TTP leadership are confused about how to disci­pline them and make them toe their (TTP’s) line,” he elaborated. 

On the other hand, there is even a report that JUA has parted ways with TTP and has started attacks in­dependently of TTP now.