PESHAWAR: IGP KP Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, while talking to journalists at a Presser held here on Tuesday (12th November, 2024) informed that Police Constable Muhammad Wali – the key facilitator of the January 2023 Mosque Blast (that claimed lives of 100 cops) – has been taken into custody.
According to IGP Gandapur, two suicide jackets were recovered from the recently arrested facilitator Muhammad Wali, who was associated with a terrorist outfit. Last year, talking to the journalists at a Presser held here the Additional Inspector General (AIG) CTD, Shaukat Abbas said that planning for attack on Police Lines was made in Afghanistan, which was carried out by the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Al-Ihrar Group.
Additional Inspector General (AIG) CTD, Shaukat Abbas said that the masterminds and handlers of the Police Lines suicide bombing attack had been traced while an accomplice of the suicide bomber, Imtiaz Khan had been arrested. Both, the suicide bomber and his accomplice Imtiaz, had been trained in a centre of Afghanistan.
In 2023 the AIG CTD told that the mastermind of the suicide attack was identified as Ghafaar alias Salman, who was in contact with the suicide bomber on the day of the attack. The organisational name of the suicide bomber was Qari and the name of his facilitator was also known, but it could not be revealed at this stage.
100 namazis lost their lives, 157 got injured (many gravely) when a suicide bomber, belonging to TTP, standing on the first suff (row) disguised as a namazi (during Zuhr prayers), blew himself up at the Police Lines Mosque here on Monday (30th of Jan, 2023).
Lady Reading Hospital, where the injured were treated, had desperately appealed for blood (particularly O-ve) donations.
PM Shehbaz Sharif had instructed the PML-N workers (having blood group O-ve) to reach the Lady Reading Hospital in order to bleed.
Taking to the twitter Islamabad Police stated: “Blast in Peshawar. IG Islamabad Dr. Akbar Nasir Khan issued security high alert orders in Islamabad. Checking has been increased at all entry and exit points.
“Monitoring is being done by means of Safe City. Snipers have been deployed at important ports and buildings.”
Roof of the double-storey mosque also caved in due to the repercussion. Imam (prayer leader) of the mosque Sahibzada Noor-ul-Amin also died in the attack.
PM Shehbaz Sharif reached Peshawar to monitor the state of affairs and visited Lady Reading Hospital to oversee the medical aid being provided to the wounded alongwith COAS Syed Asim Muneer.
While reaffirming Pakistan’s firm commitment to root out terrorism, the PM held that by targeting a mosque the attackers have demonstrated that they have nothing to do with Islam .
Chairman PPP and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, condemning the suicide attack in Peshawar, noted that incidents of terrorism before by-polls and general elections were meaningful…“Strict action will be taken against facilitators,” he proclaimed.
PTI Chief, former PM, Imran Khan Tweeted: “Strongly condemn the terrorist suicide attack in police lines mosque Peshawar during prayers.
“My prayers & condolences go to victims families. It is imperative we improve our intelligence gathering & properly equip our police forces to combat the growing threat of terrorism.”
