JOIN USTehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) Amir (chief) in Karachi Bahadur Khan Mohmmand and his associates Abid Hussain Shah and Qari Yasir were arrested on Saturday, Central Investigation Department official Fayyaz Khan told reporters here. Large quantity of explosives, arms and ammunition were recovered from their possession, he said. Last week, the police claimed it had arrested the TTP head of Karachi Akhtar Zaman Mehsud and described it as a major breakthrough in the fight against terrorism.
When asked how could the police claim Bahadur was the amir of TTP in Karachi when they already arrested the TTP Karachi chief last week, Khan said: “You must understand that the person we arrested last week was the former amir of TTP in Karachi but this time we have nabbed the present head.”
But despite Khan’s explanation there is plenty of skeptics over the real identity of those arrested. Another police official said that the three arrested on Saturday were all trained in Waziristan tribal area and were based in Karachi to raise finances for the banned outfit.
“They were involved in extortion, kidnapping for ransom and bank robberies and other criminal activities in the city,” he said.
School bombed
Militants blew up a state-run girls’ school in Pakistan’s lawless Khyber tribal region on Sunday, destroying the building and injuring four persons in nearby homes.
The 18-room school was destroyed by two explosions.