Punjab: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2014

The President of the Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) Rajanpur District, identified as Doctor Azhar Hussain (59), was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in a sectarian attack at his residence in the District on January 5, reported The Express Tribune. The target killers shot him eight times at point blank range before escaping. Hussain was a doctor by profession. He served as Executive District Health Officer Rajanpur and in 10 other executive medical positions in different districts of Punjab. Read less...

A College Professor and a Shia religious leader, identified as Nazir Hussain Imrani, was shot at and critically injured by unidentified assailants in a targeted sectarian attack in Dhoke Kashmirian area of Rawalpindi District on January 8, reports The Express Tribune. Imrani was an imam of Qasr-e-Sajjad Imambargah in Iqbal Town and a Professor at Government Hashmat Ali College. Police said that Imrani was returning home on after dropping his daughter at school. When he reached Dhoke Kashmirian, two unidentified assailants riding a motorbike fired a volley of bullets at him and fled from the scene. Read less...

JuD ‘chief’ Hafiz Mohammad Saeed on January 11 warned the Pakistan Government over striking a "secret deal" with India on the Kashmir issue, reports Authintmail.com. "We cannot leave the Kashmiri people at the mercy of India. Kashmiris have not sacrificed lives to divide Kashmir," he said during a meeting with supporters in Lahore. "We will not allow the government to have a secret deal with India on the Kashmir issue. Kashmir belongs to Kashmiris and any decision without taking them on board will not be acceptable to them or to the people of Pakistan", he added. Read less...

Four people were killed and 65 others were injured when Khushaal Khan Khattak Express passenger train carrying around 400 passengers derailed following a bomb explosion on its tracks in Omar Kot area of Rojhan sub-district in Rajanpur District on January 17, reports The Express Tribune. The train was en route to Karachi in Sindh from Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Baloch Republican Army (BRA) claimed responsibility for the attack. “We will continue to attack train tracks until the army operation in Balochistan is called off,” BRA spokesperson Arbaz Khan said in a phone call from an unknown location. Read less...

Three persons were killed when unidentified assailants opened fire on a car carrying Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) leader at Noori Gate in Sargodha area of same District on January 18, reports Daily Times. According to Police, the incident occurred at Noori Gate in Sargodha when ASWJ Deputy Chief of Punjab chapter Maulana Abdul Hameed Khalid along with others was on his way from Bhakkar District to attend the hearing at an anti-terrorism court in Sargodha. Read less...

A Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) suicide bomber killed 13 persons, including eight soldiers and three children, and wounded 29 others in Royal Artillery Bazaar close to General Headquarters in Rawalpindi District on January 20, reported Daily Times. An Army statement said, “13 persons including eight security forces personnel, three schoolchildren and two civilians embraced shahadat (martyrdom) while 29 were injured in this cowardly act of terror.” TTP ‘spokesman’ Shahidullah Shahid claimed responsibility for the attack as payback for a deadly military raid on the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad in 2007. “It was carried by one of our suicide bombers to take revenge for the Red Mosque massacre,” he said, adding, “We will continue our struggle against the secular system.” Read less...

On the direction of military officials the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) on January 21 decided to permanently close the RA Bazaar Road, where several military installations, including GHQ, National Logistics Cell (NLC), Canteen Stores Department (CSD) head office, Military Intelligence office and residences of military officers, are located, while security was also put on high alert in the twin cities, reported Daily Times. Earlier, in 2012 on the direction of military authorities RCB had closed this link road for public traffic but due to resistance it was compelled to take back its decision. RCB Cantonment Executive Officer Rana Manzoor Ahmad Khan said that due to the prevailing law and order situation and threat of terror attacks the road has been closed. He said public would not have to face any inconvenience as there are alternative roads for traffic. Read less...

Two people, including an anti-polio lady health supervisor and her driver were injured when unidentified militants attacked the anti-polio team in Bahal area of Bhakkar District on January 22, reports Daily Times. According to the local Police, the unidentified assailants on motorcycles attacked the vehicle of an anti-polio team with sticks and iron rods. They shattered the windows of the vehicle and injured both of them. Read less...

A court in Rawalpindi sentenced a self-proclaimed prophet to death on January 23 after convicting him of blasphemy, reported Dawn. Additional District and Sessions judge Naveed Iqbal also imposed a fine of PKR1 million on Mohammad Asghar, a 65-year-old British national. Asghar was arrested in Sadiqabad in 2010 after he wrote letters to different people, including the Station House Officer (SHO) of Sadiqabad Police Station, claiming that he was a prophet. Police booked Asghar under section 295-C of the PPC. The section reads: “Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, shall be punished with death or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.” Read less...

Two suspected persons, identified as Gulfam and Shoaib were shot dead by Kotwali Crime Investigations Agency (CIA) in an alleged encounter in the Shadbagh area of Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, on January 26, reports The News. The officials of Kotwali CIA had signalled two bike riders to stop at a picket set up in the Shadbagh area. Upon which, the bike riders reportedly tried to speed away from the scene firing shots on the Policemen who also retaliated in the same fashion and killed them. Police claimed that the deceased were involved in kidnapping for ransom and murder while Shoaib carried PKR one million bounties. Read less...

Shia leader and a member of the Jamia Ali Akbar Trust, identified as Ghulam Mustafa, was shot dead on January 27 by unidentified militants near his house in the Khanpur area of Rahim Yar Khan District, reports The Express Tribune. He was accompanied by his friend Kafayatullah, who remained unharmed. The incident was followed by several protest rallies organised by members of the Shia community. Shia Ulema Council tehsil (revenue unit) President Syed Sajjad Hussain Shah said the assault was a target killing and part of the Shia genocide in the country. Read less...

The Rawalpindi Police claimed to have arrested 34 Afghan nationals under Section 14 of the Foreign Act during search operations, while 12 other suspects were also arrested on January 27, reported Daily Times. According to a Rawalpindi Police Spokesman, the search operations were conducted on the special directives of Regional Police Officer (RPO), Akhtar Umar Hayat against Afghan nationals residing illegally in the city. The operations were conducted in different areas of the city under the supervision of Senior Superintendent Police (operations). Read less...

The administration of an oil refinery in Rawalpindi District of Punjab has received a threatening letter from terrorist outfit demanding USD five million as Bhatta (Extortion money), the intelligence agency sources said on January 30, The News reports on February 1. The terrorists asked the administration of the oil refinery to pay the amount within three days otherwise the refinery would be blown up, the sources maintained. Read less...