Punjab: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2012

Two alleged suicide bombers blew themselves up near Gorali locality of Gujrat town in Gujrat District of Punjab on January 3, reports Daily Times. According to Police, two alleged suicide bombers, identified as Ramzan Ali and Muhabbat Khan of Bhimber in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), wearing suicide jackets were heading towards their target on a motorcycle when they heard the sound of siren of the Rescue 1122 ambulance. Thinking that police were chasing them, they blew themselves up near Gorali, Read less...

A man, identified as Mohammad Waqas, received serious injuries in an indiscriminate firing by unknown armed assailants in Gawalmandi area of Lahore on January 4, reported Daily Times. Read less...

Thousands people gathered at Data Darbar in Lahore on January 4 in support of the former Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer’s assassin Malik Mumtaz Qadri, and called for his release, reported Express Tribune. Supporters of various religious parties that form the Tahaffuz Namoos-i-Rasalat Mahaz (TNSM) staged protests at the Lahore Press Club, Minar-e-Pakistan and other places before gathering at the Darbar. The participants, mostly Barelvi Muslims, held up portraits of Qadri and chanted slogans in his honor. They raised their arms and pledged to follow Qadri “against every blasphemer”. One speaker, Allama Muhammad Tahir Tabassum, suggested that the Government auction off the gun with which Qadri shot the Governor, “like an auction of the bats or hockey sticks of famous athletes”. It was then announced that the Sunni Ittehad Council was willing to pay PKR 100 million for the “holy gun”. Allama Muhammad Nawaz Bashir Jalalisaid that Taseer’s killing was justified by Islamic injunctions as he had committed blasphemy. He said blasphemers deserved to have their tongues cut off. He accused the media of downplaying their protests. Later, a resolution was adopted at the end of the rally asking President Asif Zardari to declare clemency for Mumtaz Qadri and punishment for Asia Bibi, the Christian woman jailed for blasphemy whose release Taseer had campaigned for. The resolution also demanded the permanent closure of NATO supply lines through Pakistan; purging of all Pakistani air bases of United States (US) personnel; the arrest of the killers of Doctor Sarfaraz Naeemi and terrorists who bombed shrines; the removal of Ahmedis from Government posts; and that “a free, fair and impartial investigation into the memo scandal be ensured and those responsible be tried under treason charges”. Read less...

Former Chairman of the Punjab Bar Council’s Executive Committee, Advocate Chaudhry Nasrullah Warraich, was shot dead by unidentified militants in Lahore District on January 9, reports Daily Times. Police said some unidentified militants visited Nasrullah Warraich’s house, and enquired about his son Mansoor. Nasrullah responded, and as he turned back, the accused opened fire and fled. Read less...

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on January 9 voiced concern at the reports of a number of journalists facing threats in recent weeks and asked the authorities to ensure that threats to journalists end, reports Daily Times. A statement issued in Lahore District by HRCP said, “The HRCP is alarmed at reports of threats received by journalists on account of their work. While it is not uncommon for journalists in Pakistan to live under a constant cloud of intimidation and violence, the perceptible increase in threats is manifested by over a dozen journalists killed in 2011, while many others have been forced to go into hiding. Many have exercised self-censorship for the sake of safety and others have suffered for airing views that are unpopular in some quarters. A number of journalists have recently gone public about the threats they have received from ‘anonymous callers’. They have also mentioned cell phone numbers of the callers but little has been done to identify or prosecute these people. A Government committed to media freedom must neither remain a spectator in the circumstances nor wait to be implored into action.” Further the report stated, “HRCP wants to remind the authorities that for two years now Pakistan has held the dubious distinction of being one of the deadliest countries for journalists. HRCP reiterates that those making threats and perpetrating violence against journalists are encouraged by the fact that out of over 70 journalists killed in Pakistan in the last decade, the perpetrators have been brought to justice in only one case.” HRCP urged all state institutions to acknowledge the dangers faced by the journalists, identify and prosecute those threatening media persons on account of their work and ensure that journalism does not remain a dangerous profession in Pakistan. Read less...

A bomb hoax at Atif Aslam concert held at the Al Hamra Cultural Complex in Lahore led to a stampede that killed three girls and injured five others, reported Express Tribune. The deceased girls were identified as Maheen Naseem (17), Sara Nawaz (22) and Nimra (16). There were reportedly between 6000 and 7000 girls at the concert. The stampede was caused when the crowd exiting was told by boys passing by that a bomb was planted at the concert venue, said administration officials of the Punjab Group of Colleges. There was no Police or Al Hamra security inside where guards employed by Punjab Group of Colleges were taking care of the security. Read less...

An Afghan girl (9), identified as Haleem, carrying 50 bullets and an Afghan man, identified as Gul Mohammad (25) were arrested by Security Force deployed at the main procession of Hazrat Imam Hussain’s Chehlum in Kashmiri Bazaar in Lahore District on January 15, reported Dawn. Haleema, and her neighbor, 25-year-old Gul Mohammad, were spotted acting suspiciously by the Police and Civil Defense Staff. Initial reports revealed that the man who was carrying an Afghan refugee card and PKR10, said that he was going to Chakwal District to hand over the girl to her parents and did not know about the bullets. However, when Police contacted on the address in Chakwal, they could not trace the family of the girl. Afterwards, the Police arrested the girl’s uncle from Dhoke Hassu in Rawalpindi District. However, the investigators did not give details about why the girl was carrying the bullets. Read less...

At least 18 people, belonging to the Shia sect, were killed while 30 others were wounded when a bomb exploded near a procession marking Arbain or the chehlum (40th day) of Hazrat Imam Hussain’s martyrdom in Khanpur city of Rahim Yar Khan District on January 15, reported Daily Times. No outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Read less...

The death toll of January 15, 2012 bomb attack on a chehlum (40th day of Imam Hussain’s martyrdom) procession at Darbar-e-Hussain Imambargah in Khanpur city of Rahim Yar Khan District rose to 21, while another bomb weighing two kilogrammes was found in the same area on January 16, reported Express Tribune. Earlier the death toll stood at 18. Read less...

the private security personnel claimed to have arrested one suspect. They said that they found the man with two remote controls in his pocket. “We beat him and tried to question him but security officials took him away from us. However, the Police denied any arrests. Read less...

Police claimed to have arrested 14 suspects for their alleged involvement in the March 3, 2009 attack on Sri Lankan Cricket Team and other terrorism-related activities in Lahore District during the year 2011, reports Daily Times. According to a Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) spokesperson, the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Police arrested six suspects involved in the attack, besides arresting proclaimed offender Samiullah and his accomplices. Read less...

The Jama’at-ud-Dawa (JuD) on January 19 said that the cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan will attend its Difa-e-Pakistan (Defence of Pakistan) rally to be held in Multan District of Punjab Province on January 29, 2012, reported Indian Express. JuD leaders said the Difa-e-Pakistan gathering would also be attended by Jama’at-e-Islami (JeI) chief Munawar Hassan and Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and leaders of other religious and political parties. There was no word from Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party on the development. Khan has not attended other ‘Defence of Pakistan’ meetings organised by the JuD but a message from him was read out at a rally held in Lahore on December 18, 2011. The movement was launched shortly after a cross-border November 26, 2011, NATO air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. During rallies and meetings organised as part of the movement, leaders of the JuD and other extremist groups have mainly targeted the United States (US) and India. Read less...

Two Europeans, identified as Giovanni and Bernd, working with the Welthungerhilfe, a German International Non-Governmental Organisation (INGO) for food rehabilitation, were abducted from Western Fort Colony of Qasim Bela area in Multan District while returning from Kot Addu tehsil (revenue unit) of Muzaffargarh District on January 19, reported Express Tribune. Read less...

The leaders of the Pakistan Defense Council (PDC), comprising of 44 politico-religious parties of the country gathered at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi on January 22 in a rally against what they called the anti-Pakistan forces, reported Express Tribune. “Al-Jihad, Al-Jihad” (the holy war, the holy war) slogans rose from the crowd in response to every fiery claim by orators who warned against the ‘grand conspiracies’ being hatched by the ‘enemies of Pakistan’. A majority of the participants in the rally were holding Jama’at-ud Dawa (JuD) flags, led by Hafiz Saeed, whose 17-minute speech, consistently referring to Indian-American aggression against Muslims, resonated with the crowd of over 50,000. “The current standoff between state institutions is the result of a sin that we committed 10 years ago by allowing our territory to be used against Afghan Muslims, and until we repent for that grave mistake, we will never be able to overcome these issues,” Saeed said, adding, “This is America’s war and we only want to fight Pakistan’s war.” The PDC urged the Government to get rid of the US war on terrorism. The leaders demanded Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to make a timeframe to leave the war and formulate independent policies by keeping the national interests supreme. Saeed said that India is a greater threat to Pakistan than the United States (US). “The current Government is conspiring with the US to give in to Indian supremacy in the region. Granting Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status is part of that plan. We must practically oppose this,” Saeed added. Activists of the participating religious outfits freely distributed hate material, including jihadi pamphlets, books, CDs and posters inciting sectarian hatred and urging jihad. Read less...

Kot Addu Police claimed to have arrested four suspected persons on January 23 in connection with the abduction of two European aid workers from Western Fort Colony of Qasim Bela area in Multan District on January 19, 2012, reports Daily Times. Punjab Police Inspector General (IG) Javed Iqbal said the aid workers, were being held for ransom. Read less...

Police accused militants for the abduction of a German aid worker and his Italian colleague at gunpoint on January 19 from Multan District, and a Kenyan aid worker abducted on January 22, from Khairpur District of Sindh. “The kidnappers have made no contact so far,” Azhar Akram, the head of the Police investigation team said in Multan. A member of the Police team confirmed that suspicion was falling on extremists. “The gunmen are believed to have taken them to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said. Read less...

The Rawalpindi Police on January 24 claimed to have arrested two suspected militants, identified as Usman Liaquat alias Shah Gee and Saqib Ali Shah alias Hamza, during a raid of a hideout of an alleged militant in the Wah Cantt area and seized two Kalashnikov rifles and eight magazines, 200 rounds and four hand grenades from them, reports Daily Times. Read less...

An industrialist abducted along with his driver from Alipur Road near Kachi Kothi in Nawab Town in Lahore District on January 28, 2012 was recovered by Police from Lahore-Islamabad Motorway, known as the Lillah interchange on January 29, reported Dawn. The Lahore, Jhelum, Chakwal and Motorway Police undertook the search and found an injured and tortured Syed Feroze Hassan abandoned near Sardi village. One of the four abductors, belonging to Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) in Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), was arrested during search operation. According to Police sources, Hassan who owned the Nazir Paper Mills had been abducted for ransom and an attempt was made to take him to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Read less...

During a public meeting at Multan Sports Ground in Multan District the leaders of the Pakistan Defense Council (PDC) on January 29 warned the Government against reopening of the NATO supply routes, threatening strikes and sit-ins if the rulers compromised on the issue, reported Daily Times. The leaders said that they strongly opposed any compromise over the blood of Pakistan Army and tribal brothers in return for dollars. They warned that if NATO supply lines were restored, people from Karachi to Khyber would take to roads and stop the containers forcibly. Read less...

Thousands of traders and activists from religious parties gathered near the Holy Family Hospital at Satellite Town in Rawalpindi District on January 29 to call on the Government to stop ‘unconstitutional’ activities of the Ahmadiyya community, reported Express Tribune. The protest, arranged by Traders’ Associations, was attended by activists of Jama’at-ud-Dawa (JuD), Jama’at-e-Islami (JeI) and the Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jama’at (ASWJ). Members of the proscribed militant outfit Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) were also in attendance. The rally took place in Satellite Town, where an Ahmadi worship place, Ewane Tawheed, is also located. The traders said it was built without prior official approval. Although the rally was held to protest alleged land ‘encroachment’, speakers used the occasion to demand that Ahmadis stop religious activities such as proselytizing and worshipping. Read less...

The Supreme Court (SC) on January 30 directed the chiefs of the spy agencies to produce the remaining seven missing prisoners in court on January 31 (today) who were picked up by them from outside Adiala Jail following their release on February 9, 2010, reported Daily Times. A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry heard constitutional petition of Rohaifa, the mother of three of the prisoners, one of whom had died in custody. The court expressing concern over the mysterious death of four missing prisoners, sought a reply, explaining the circumstances under which the four had died and directed filing the charges against them and directed the counsel for the Director Generals of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI) and Judge Advocate General (JAG) Branch, Raja Muhammad Irshad, to produce the remaining prisoners of Adiala Jail on the next hearing. The counsel requested the court that some time be given to file a comprehensive reply on the petition regarding death of four missing prisoners. He denied that four prisoners died in the custody of agencies, however, said the remaining missing prisoners were under the custody of the Provincial Government. The CJP, expressing his annoyance, asked Raja to go and produce the prisoners on January 31 (today) because the court was told that the 11 missing prisoners were under the custody of spy agencies and they were being tried under the Army Act. “Mr Raja, the SC is directing you to produce them,” the Chief Justice further said, adding, “We have given the custody of the prisoners to you (agencies) and now you produce them no matter from where you bring them.” Read less...