You have commented 338 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
India-Pakistan
Suspect behind torching of Diamer schools killed in search operation
2018-08-06
[DAWN] The prime suspect believed responsible for the torching of 14 girls' schools over a period of two days in Gilgit-Baltistan's (GB) Diamer district was killed during a search operation in the Tanger area on Sunday, Diamer Police Spokesperson Muhammad Wakeel told Dawn.

Shafiq ─ who has no known association with any organised bad boy or terrorist outfits, but is referred to as a "militant" and "militant commander" by police officials ─ was one of the suspects behind the brazen arson attacks targeting girls' schools in the Chilas, Darel and Tanger tehsils of Diamer district.

Police began conducted raids in various parts of Diamer last night to track down those responsible for the arson attacks. GB Spokesperson Faizullah Faraq said that 10-12 police parties were involved in the operations.

A police constable was killed and another maimed in a shootout with armed suspects during a late night raid on Saturday in Tanger. Faraq on Sunday said that 30 people had been tossed in the clink
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
during search operations so far.

Police sources said that locals were also taking part in the search operations, and that most 'militants' in the area are locals.

Muhammad Wakeel said that the "militants" in Tanger had been attempting to flee the area but locals had surrounded them, after which Shafiq was killed.

Police sources added that a civilian was injured in an exchange of fire between police and the 'militants'. At least three to four others were also injured during the operations.

GB Spokesman Faizullah Faraq said that miscreants had occupied a road in Tanger and were firing at passing cars.

The car of Sessions Judge Malik Inayat Rehman, who was going from Shatial to attend the funeral of the slain police constable (his cousin) in Tanger, was also fired at as it travelled along the road, his father, former GB Legislative Assembly speaker Muhammad Miskeen told DawnNewsTV.

Although the car was badly damaged, the judge escaped unharmed, Miskeen said, adding that the judge had not been alerted to the security threat by police.

Locals in the area sought the assistant commissioner's permission to fight the miscreants, but were not given the go ahead to do so.

Meanwhile,
...back at the abandoned silver mine, the water was up to Jack's neck and still rising. And then he smelled the smoke...
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Gohar Nafees said that a suicide jacket, grenades and an array of arms were recovered from a suspected terrorist's house in Chilas.

DIG Nafees said a heavy contingent of security forces had been deployed in Darel, and that the search operation would continue in Diamer until "terrorism was eliminated".

GB Information Minister Shams Mir said that a team of forensic experts from Islamabad had arrived in GB to investigate the arson attacks. Mir said that the experts are part of a joint investigation team constituted to probe the incidents and track down those responsible.

Police reports links attacks to past incidents
During a meeting on Saturday of GB ministers from Diamer, the home secretary, IG Police, government front man, district administration, intelligence and law enforcement agencies officials and elders of the district in Chilas, it was decided that the search operation would be extended, and that locals had assured the administration of their cooperation with police.

Sources privy to the meeting had said that the names of 20 suspects had been given to the local jirga with the demand for their immediate surrender.

The police later submitted to the chief minister an initial report linking the latest episodes of school torchings with past attacks on girls’ schools in the area.

The report stated the incident was the continuation of the past incidents in which girls’ schools had been attacked with an objective to bar them from getting education.

Schools torched
In 2004, half a dozen girls’ schools had been torched in one go. Girls’ schools were also targeted by bad boy forces in 2011 and 2015.

Some traditions and extremism are main reasons for local resistance to female education in the district, which has the lowest literacy rate in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Posted by:Fred

00:00