People were shocked to discover that the young men who killed 46 Ismailis in a bus in Safoora in 2015 were graduates of prestigious universities. What no one expected, however, was that in less than a year’s time, history would repeat itself. Another set of educated young men would be going after targets again and boasting of it on Twitter.
The group behind these new killings, Ansar-ul Sharia Pakistan, is barely a year old but its men are believed to be behind the murders of policemen in a string of attacks that has sent jitters through the force.
It was in May that the police first learnt about Ansar-ul Sharia from the crime scene of the murder of three policemen in the New Town jurisdiction because they had helpfully dropped off pamphlets claiming the attack. Prior to this incident, a month earlier, the police had started a frustrated investigation into the homicide of a retired army colonel in April, which they later learnt had been perpetrated by the ASP as well. These attacks and the discovery of a new militant outfit were considered a setback to the high-powered ‘Karachi operation’ that had been trying to clean up the city since 2013.
The latest attack, a botched attempt on the life of MQM lawmaker Khawaja Izhar on Eid day, however, led to the unraveling of ASP’s network and its first few arrests. The assailant, who was later shot and killed while fleeing the scene, was identified as Has’san.
The young man was employed at Dawood College of Engineering and Technology. He had graduated from Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology and had a master’s degree from NED University. “He came from an educated family with no apparent background of religious radicalization,” said an officer of the Counter Terrorism Department. “His father is a professor at a private university and his mother is a doctor.”
Ansarul Sharia
Has’san, who wore a black t-shirt and police-uniform like trousers, worked with two accomplices. As Izhar was returning home Eid prayers with some neighbors, Has’san opened fire, which was captured by CCTV cameras. (The footage was later aired on different channels.) Upon hearing the gunshots, policemen with a Taimuria mobile unit stationed at a nearby Imambargah sprung into action. They raised the alarm upon seeing three men (one in a police uniform) in helmets and took chase in their rickety Suzuki pickup amid a hail of bullets. Two men got away.
Has’san lost a magazine while trying to take off and was soon out of bullets. He was shot in the crossfire and soon overpowered by a group of young men who had gathered at the scene. They started beating him. The police acted quickly, identified Has’san and fingerprinted him. They rushed to his home, seized laptops there and other material and detained his family.
While all of this took place swiftly, the police started to hit roadblocks in the investigation when they tried to get Has’san’s cell phone call data record. This is where SSP Malir Rao Anwar stepped in and with the help of intelligence agencies (who are able to easily access CDRs) used the information to conduct a raid. A policeman lost his life in it and another was injured as the police were met with resistance. “They (police) took them (suspects) lightly and entered the house,” a senior security official explained. “They were ready and were expecting a raid. This is the reason they managed to escape.” One of the suspects on the run was identified as Abdul Karim Sarosh Siddiqui.
Subsequently, in a joint raid Shaheryar alias Abdullah Hashmi, said to be the chief of the ASP, was nabbed by security forces from Kaneez Fatima Society in Malir. His arrest had not been acknowledged by the police till the time we went to press. Shaheryar is an M.Sc in Applied Physics from the University of Karachi. Abdul Karim Sarosh Siddiqui, an ASP suspect who escaped in the Rao Anwar raid, enrolled in the Applied Physics department did not complete his studies, a university official said. More arrests were made from DHA but none have been acknowledged by the police yet, as apparently the suspects are being questioned.
The bullet casings collected from the scene of the Khawaja Izhar attack matched those gathered from other attacks, suggesting the same weapon was used. This is the case with at least four homicides, that of: a private security guard wearing a uniform that resembled that of the police’s in February; a volunteer of the Pakistan Qaumi Razakar also wearing a police uniform, on August 17; an attack on a police mobile in New Town precincts; DSP Hanif Khan and his gunman on August 11.
But after this slew of cop killings, investigators grappled with the question of why an MQM lawmaker was targeted. The only lead was information that came from the ASP Twitter account, saying that Izhar was “pro-US”.
The latest attack, a botched attempt on the life of MQM lawmaker Khawaja Izhar on Eid day, however, led to the unraveling of ASP's network and its first few arrests
Not a scratch
On May 21, four policemen in their mobile were ambushed in New Town limits. They were targeted on a particular spot on a road adjacent to Khatoon-e-Pakistan College where they used to daily picket to spot check motorcyclists and passing cars. A month later, on June 23, four policemen having iftar at a hotel in Site were shot dead by four attackers on two motorcycles. The attack was claimed by ASP which threw pamphlets on the scene. “They (attackers) carried out the shooting with such sophistication that the waiter serving the policemen at the time of the attack didn’t suffer a scratch,” observed a Counter Terrorism officer. It was not mere coincidence that the waiter emerged unscathed; literature from the outfit spread over social media calls for avoiding collateral damage, the officer explained.
On Twitter Ansarul Sharia went so far as to put up public guidelines apprising people of what to do what an attack is being carried out. For example, it has a chapter called “General Guidelines for Public” advising them to avoid standing or roaming around military installations. If security forces are passing on the street stay away from them or keep your car away from the vehicles of security forces, they say. This is just part of its PR campaign to present a Robin Hood soft image of itself to the public.
The group has also used Twitter to distance itself from Da’ish, explaining that no one from their current leadership has ever joined it. Investigators believe, however, that it is formed by men who used to be with al Qaeda and Da’ish but grew disgruntled and decided to branch off. Given how local groups become proxies for larger global outfits, it should come as no surprise that ASP used Twitter to declare its allegiance to al Qaeda’s top leadership. A counterterrorism official said that group has been named on the lines of Ansar al Sharia Tunisia.
The ASP Twitter account was suspended after the arrests. (Twitter suspended nearly 377,000 accounts globally in the last six months of 2016 for promoting terrorism, CNN reported).
On Twitter Ansarul Sharia went so far as to put up public guidelines apprising people of what to do what an attack is being carried out
Vulnerable
Although there is a sense of relief among the police that arrests have been made, further attacks cannot be ruled out, remarked an investigator, adding that they were wary of suspects on the run.
Since the killings started, traffic police were ordered to wear bulletproof vests on duty, making all the more visible their vulnerability. Fortunately, there was no shortage of light bulletproof vests as the Americans had come to the rescue of the Sindh police by donating at least 3,500. This is why the force was able to swiftly distribute them in the wake of the attacks. These vests can resist 9mm bullets, but they can at most reduce the impact of shots fired from a larger weapon.
There is, however, a shortage of weapons for the traffic police. They need small weapons like 9mm pistols, not big weapons like AK-47 rifles. New pistols are being purchased for them, said former DIG Traffic Asif Ajaz Shaikh, who was transferred last week.
At least 57 traffic policemen have been killed in the last eight years in Karachi. They make for soft easy targets because they are generally unarmed and posted at main traffic signals.
The writer is the Pakistan correspondent for Reuters News
