KAMRA/ISLAMABAD – Injured Sepoy Muhammad Iqbal died in hospital on Friday, taking the death toll of soldiers in the Thursday’s attack at the PAF’s Minhas airbase in Kamra to two.
Also on Friday, funeral prayer of Sepoy Muhammad Asif Ramzan, who died fighting the militants, were offered in Makhdoom Rasheed area of Multan after which he was buried in ancestral graveyard.
On the other hand, two FIRs of airbase attack naming nine unidentified terrorists were registered at Kamra City’s Saddar police station on Friday. The FIRs were registered on the complaints of Flight Lieutenant Officer and police station’s SHO under Anti-Terrorists Act.
Meanwhile, the inquiry committee formed to probe the terrorist assault commenced its work. The probe committee led by Air Marshal Sohail Gul is considering the points as to who provided logistic support to the terrorists and whether the attackers stayed in village Makhan Suleman or just employed it as a safe passage.
The process to identify the terrorists killed in the commando operation was underway and their contacts were being explored. All nine attackers were killed in the prompt retaliatory operation in assault on August 16. Following the brazen attack, the security has been beefed up at all defence installations across the country especially the PAF’s bases and other security setups.
During his visit to PAF Base Minhas on Friday, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt said that Pakistan Air Force would go to every length to ensure protection of national security and defence assets.
According to PAF spokesperson, he also visited that portion of the airbase where security forces successfully eliminated the miscreants. He was given a briefing about the sequence of the event by PAC Kamra Chairman Air Marshal Sohail Gul Khan.
The Air Chief also met Minhas Base Commander Air Commodore Muhammad Azam, who accompanied him during his visit, the spokesman said. Sources said the Air Chief met PAF Airmen and boosted their morale He told that protection of mother land and its assets is supreme priority of the Air force and “we will sacrifice our lives for defending our land and national security”. He said that enemies would be defeated and their nefarious designs would be foiled.
APP adds: Minister for Interior A Rehman Malik on Friday said that nuclear assets of the country were in safe hands and ‘fully secured’.
Addressing a Press conference, he dispelled the impression and propaganda unleashed by Western media regarding country’s nuclear assets and said that defence of the country and its’ nuclear assets were in safe and strong hands.
“If we can develop nuclear assets, we can protect them too. When Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the founding father of PPP and the architect of nuclear programme started it, the propagandists started opposing him and his programme at that time,” the minister said.
Regarding terrorists’ attack at Kamra Airbase, the minister said that it was not a security lapse and timely action of security personnel of the country foiled the nefarious attempt to harm the national installations.
To a question, Malik said that it was domain of Federal Interior Ministry to maintain overall law and order situation but this responsibility had been transferred to the provinces after 18th constitutional Amendment. However, he said, Ministry of Interior was providing logistic support and shared intelligence from time to time to the provinces, besides issuing directions.
The minister said that Interior Ministry had issued in-advance warning regarding possible attack at air force installations and it was result of this intelligence sharing that valiant personnel of Pakistan Air Force were able to foil this attempt and killed all the attackers.
He saluted to Base Commander of Karma Airbase who led from the frontline to safeguard airbase and also got injured during operation against terrorists.
Malik said four attackers killed during operation had been identified, adding that attack on the Kamra Airbase and other terrorist attacks could be traced back to North and South Waziristan.
To a question regarding operation in North Waziristan, he said government would accept no dictation and no decision had been made so far in that connection.
Another Kamra hero dies of wounds