Security agencies have started preparing for the forthcoming general elections by keeping tabs on suspect militants, especially of the Qari Zafar (of the Al Qaeda) and Mufti Ilyas (infamous for the Nishtar Park bombing) groups. The agencies are preparing and maintaining profiles on people and interrogating activists from banned organizations.Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) Saud Ahmed Mirza confirmed that they have been busy but said that there is only so much they can do. “We can just gather the data and maintain profiles on suspect militants, terrorists and activists. There is a main role for the police to play,” he said. The DIG did not know exactly how many people have been taken into custody or how many people have been released with a warning. When asked if Qari Zafar, who is in charge of Al Qaeda’s car bombing cell, and/or Mufti Ilyas are currently gearing up for more attacks, he said that he couldn’t give any specifics. The media knows everything well enough, he added.
A source said that over 100 activists from different banned organizations, such as the Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Sipah-e-Mohammad, and members of the Qari Zafar and Mufti Ilyas groups have been taken into custody. Most were released after interrogation but some are still being held. Local police, the CID, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and other security agency personnel are busy gathering data, the source said. The interrogation of inmates is also in progress, he added.
Some areas are being monitored. A number of mosques are also being watched and plainclothes have been deputed throughout the city. One suspect militant, who was taken into custody, told Daily Times that he was interrogated by the police at different locations. “The police kept me for two days and when they let me go they gave me a warning and said that I have to stay in touch with them on a weekly basis or they’d put me in jail,” he said. The main questions the police asked him centred on what his group was up to.