Chinese consulate attack: ATC directs CTD to submit report on Feb 8

F.P. Report

KARACHI: Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has ordered the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) to submit the investigation report pertaining to the attack on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi, on February 8.

As the hearing underway, CTD officers, investigating into the case and having failed to find any evidence and arresting those responsible for the attack on the Chinese Consulate, pleaded with the court to close the case, whereas the jury expressed concerns over “reasons for keeping the case in the A-Class category.”

The A-class category is applicable to those cases where suspects are apparently unknown or untraceable.

During the hearing, the courts asked ‘Why there had been no efforts to catch the attackers’, while ordering the officers strictly to investigate the matter thoroughly and arrest the suspects.

The current report presented before the court mentioned ‘information’ regarding the killing of Aslam Acho, however, further states of having no confirmation or evidence.

Aslam Achoo ‘was’ a senior commander of the banned outfit Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

The report further stated that the flag of the BLA was recovered from the killed terrorists.

Earlier on Friday, Karachi Police Chief Dr Amir Ahmed Shaikh, during a media briefing, claimed that the attack on the Chinese consulate was planned in Afghanistan, and executed with the support of the Indian intelligence agency – Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

The attack

On 23 November, 2018, three heavily armed militants stormed the embassy and tried to broke into the Chinese Consulate in the ‘high security zone’ in Clifton, but were killed in an encounter with security officers.

The gun-and-grenade assault also claimed lives of two officers and two visa applicants, and injured a private guard of the foreign mission.

The banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) had claimed credit for the attack.