Pakistan’s Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Anwar, revealed in a Friday press conference that several suspects have been apprehended in connection with the recent killing of a member of an outlawed anti-India militant group inside a mosque. The IGP further asserted that evidence has been gathered, pointing towards the involvement of a foreign country in an act of terrorism in Sialkot.
During the press conference, Anwar said that the attack was orchestrated by a rogue nation and planned outside the borders of Pakistan. The Punjab Police has reportedly gathered irrefutable evidence, which will be shared with concerned countries to expose those responsible for the attack. The collaborative efforts of Pakistan’s security agencies, including the police, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Military Intelligence (MI), led to the identification and apprehension of the terrorists within 24 hours.
Anwar expressed confidence in the identification of both the perpetrators and facilitators of the attack, achieved through a unified and purposeful approach. He further revealed that a subsequent press conference will be held to present the evidence to the international community, following its submission to the courts.
The attack, which occurred on October 11, resulted in the tragic loss of lives during Fajr prayers at a mosque in Sialkot. The victims included the mosque’s leader, Shahid Mehmood, a religious activist associated with an outlawed outfit, as well as his security guard. Another worshipper, Abdul Ahad, sustained critical injuries and was rushed to Gujranwala for urgent medical treatment. The assailants, reportedly a group of six gunmen, entered Masjid Al Noor at Mundayke and opened fire on the unsuspecting worshippers.
Pakistan has been grappling with an upsurge in terrorist activities, with 2022 witnessing a 27 percent increase in such incidents compared to the previous year, as reported by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies. January 2023 was marked as the “deadliest” month since July 2018, with 134 fatalities and 254 injuries resulting from 44 terrorist incidents across the country. Pakistani authorities have attributed the rise in terrorist activities to the Taliban’s ascension to power in neighboring Afghanistan two years ago.
The international community has also expressed condemnation and strong condemnation of terrorist attacks in Pakistan. In July 2023, the UN Security Council denounced a heinous suicide terrorist attack during a political meeting in Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which claimed the lives of at least 44 Pakistanis and left over 100 injured.
