Terrorist attack on Pakistan Police

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Shah inquiring health of an injured personnel

By Nasir Aijaz,
The AsiaN Representative

KARACHI, SINDH: Four personnel of law enforcing agencies and a civilian were martyred and three terrorists were killed in hours-long gun battle when the terrorists attacked the police headquarter in Karachi, the southern port city and capital of Sindh province on Friday February 17.

At least 19 other personnel sustained bullet injuries, and one of them is reported to be in precarious condition.

The gun battle started at 7.15pm and continued for about three and half an hour during which three policemen, a soldier of Rangers, the paramilitary force, and a civilian, said to be a sanitary worker, were martyred while all the three attackers were killed.

The death of four personnel, injuries to 19 others and killing of three terrorists were confirmed by Syed Murad Ali Shah, the Chief Minister of Sindh province while talking to the media during his late night visit to a government hospital where the injured personnel are under the treatment.

Karachi Police Headquarters

According to the Chief Minister, three terrorists, who came in a car, first hurled hand grenades on the 5-storey building which housed the Karachi city police headquarter and then barged into the building opening the fires with sophisticated weapons.

The police personnel present there retaliated the fires, and in meantime heavy contingents of police, rangers and naval police also rushed to join the operation.

Police officials said that two terrorists were killed at second floor while the third one on fourth floor. However earlier media reports said that one terrorist wearing the suicide jacket blew himself up on the roof of the building, located at main road named after King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, that links the city center and airport.

As soon as the terrorists stormed the Karachi police headquarter, the entire area was plunged into darkness as the law enforcing agencies, under the strategy, suspended the power supply and blocked the roads for carrying out the operation.

During the attack, multiple shots could be heard ringing through the area. The firing and blasts continued intermittently till 10.30pm when the police and personnel of other law enforcing agencies raised slogans to announce their triumph.

Police in position during terror attack on Karachi Police Headquaters

A state of emergency was declared in Karachi, according to the Sindh provincial government spokesperson, Sharjeel Memon, who holds the office of Information Minister.

Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack, according to spokesman Mohammad Khorasani, as reported by online media.

On January 30, suicide bombers of TTP had attacked a police mosque in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhaw province, bordering Afghanistan. Some 59 policemen were killed and 157 injured in the attack.

The motive behind the Karachi terror attack couldn’t be ascertained immediately; however, the provincial Chief Minister in his media talk linking the Karachi attack with Peshawar suicide bombing said, “It’s now obvious that our forces are the target of coward terrorists.”