Army officer martyred in Balochistan IBO
23 February, 2022 12:25
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Tuesday arrested a notorious terrorist involved in the Army Public School (APS) attack which left 151, mostly students and their teachers, dead in 2014. According to a press release issued by CTD, Jan Wali, a resident of Bara, Khyber tribal district, was arrested from Karkhano Market in Peshawar on the basis of special information. “During the attack seven suicide bombers blew themselves up. Around 151 people were killed and 147 were injured,” said an official of the CTD while talking to The Express Tribune. “Special teams had been formed to arrest this man,” he said. Separately, CTD Peshawar also arrested a man involved in extortion. CTD said that a local trader had lodged an FIR with police that he was being threatened by unidentified extortionists who were demanding Rs6 million from him. Police opened investigation in the case and finally reached the accused Hammad Ashraf. In its earlier news item The Express Tribune had reported that all perpetrators of the 2014 Army Public School (APS) attack, including masterminds and those who executed the terrorist activity, have been killed, sentenced to death and necessary action taken against them. All 12 terrorists involved in the attack were apprehended by the security forces out of whom, six main terrorists were tried by the military courts. They were handed down death sentences. Five of them were executed while one terrorist filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The Pakistan Army was appreciated and no blame was affixed on it by the highest inquiry commission formed in the aftermath of the tragic incident that left more than 145 martyred, most of them school students. Soon after the attack, a national consensus was achieved and the National Action Plan (NAP) was drafted to curb the rampant spread of terrorism in the country. The military, in successive campaigns, wrestled back control of areas in erstwhile FATA, which had become a hotbed of militant activity. Army also took disciplinary action against those individuals, who did not come up to the warranted necessary measures, including dismissal from service. The judicial commission concluded on June 30, 2020, that terrorism perpetrated by the enemies of Pakistan reached its peak in 2013-2014. The report stated that assistance provided to terrorists by the school’s locality is unpardonable.
An army officer embraced martyrdom over the weekend on Sunday during a shootout with terrorists in Balochistan’s Kohlu district, said the military’s media wing.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces conducted a clearance operation after receiving intelligence-based information about the presence of terrorists in the area.
Terrorists opened indiscriminate fire while fleeing the area as soon as troops started to cordon them off. During the ensuing heavy exchange of fire, Capt Haider Abbas embraced shahadat in pursuit of terrorists.
A follow up operation was launched immediately which is currently underway to round up the remaining terrorists that managed to escape into nearby mountains.
The ISPR added that security forces operations to eliminate terrorists will continue and no one will be allowed to sabotage the hard earned peace in the country’s largest province.
Namaz-e-Janaza of Shaheed Capt Haider was offered at Imambargah Khairul Amal in Ancholi Karachi.
Corps Commander Karachi, Lieutenant General Muhammad Saeed also attended the funeral. Sitting officers, soldiers, relatives of the Shaheed and a large number of people including Amir Khan, Senior Deputy Convener of MQM-Pakistan Rabita Committee, MQM MPA Abbas Jaffery and other leaders were in attendance.
The martyred officer was buried with complete military honour.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also paid tribute to Shaheed Capt Haider Abbas, who sacrificed his life during an intelligence-based operation against terrorists.
“Another son of the soil sacrificed his life on Pakistan. Capt Haider embraced martyrdom following the tradition set by Haider-e-Karrar [A title of Hazrat Ali (RA) for courage and bravery],” he said in a tweet.
The minister said the whole nation was indebted to the Shaheed’s sacrifice and saluted him for sacrificing his life while defending the motherland.
Earlier, on Sunday, the military conducted an IBO on the reported presence of terrorists in the North Waziristan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, killing five terrorists.
According to the ISPR, terrorists including Habib Nawaz alias Shakil, Waheedullah, Abdur Rehman, and Muhammadullah were killed in the operation. The identification of the fifth terrorist is being investigated, it added.
“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists including submachine guns, hand grenades and large quantity of multiple calibre rounds,” the statement further said.
The military’s media wing further said that the terrorists were involved in activities against security forces including target killing and kidnapping for ransom.
Sepoy Shabbir Ahmed, a 28-year-old resident of Quetta, fought gallantly and inflicting casualties upon the terrorists, embraced martyrdom during an intense firefight, it said.
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