KARACHI: A five-member committee has been constituted to probe a militant attack on the police headquarters of the largest Pakistani city of Karachi, Ghulam Nabi Memon, police chief for the southern Sindh province where Karachi is located, said on Saturday.
The sound of gunfire and explosions rocked the heart of Karachi for several hours on Friday as militants launched the deadly attack on the Karachi Police Office (KPO).
Three security personnel and a civilian were killed and 18 others wounded in the ensuing gunbattle to retake the compound, according to government officials. Two suicide bombers were killed and at least one blew himself up after entering the police building. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
“A committee with the following composition is hereby constituted to enquire into the incident of attack on Karachi Police Office and supervise the investigations of the case,” read a notification issued by the office of the Sindh police chief.
A police officer guards the route leading to the building after yesterday's attack on a police station, in Karachi, Pakistan on February 18, 2023. (REUTERS)
The committee comprises top police officials, namely Zulfiqar Ali Larik, Irfan Ali Baloch, Muhammad Karim Khan, Tariq Nawaz and Raja Umer Khattab.
Larik, the Sindh Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) deputy inspector general, heads the committee and can co-opt any other member required for conducting investigations, according to the notification.
Pakistan has seen an uptick in militant violence in recent months, particularly after the Pakistani Taliban called off a cease-fire with the government in November.
Friday’s attack came weeks after a deadly suicide bombing killed more than 80 people, mostly police officials, at a mosque inside a heavily guarded police compound in the country’s northwest.
The Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, are a separate group but are allies of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan more than a year ago.
The Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened Pakistani militants, whose top leaders and fighters are said to be hiding across the border.
