An antiterrorism court in Karachi city has declared 15 suspects as proclaimed offenders for allegedly masterminding the armed attack on the Chinese consulate general in Karachi.
According to reports, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) booked and arrested Mohammad Aslam, Ahmed Hasnain, Ali Ahmed alias Hashim, Nadir Khan alias Arif Buledi and Abdul Latif — all said to be associated with the banned “pro-independence” Baloch Liberation Army — for allegedly facilitating three heavily armed insurgents who attacked the Chinese consulate general in Clifton area of Karachi on Nov 23, 2018.
The CTD claimed that Aslam Baloch, Hyrbiyar Marri, Bashir Zaib, Noor Bux Mengal, Kareem Marri, ‘Captain’ Rehman Gul, Nisar, Sheikhu, Gaindi, Shareef, Hammal, Munshi and Agha Sher Dil had ‘masterminded and facilitated’ the attack.
The trail is being conducted by the ATC-VII judge in the judicial complex inside the central prison. When the investigating officer submitted a report regarding completion of the process of proclamation and attachment of properties of the escaped suspects.
The judge issued perpetual warrants for the arrest of absconding and separated their case from the held suspects. The court also ordered the authorities to forfeit their movable and immoveable properties.
The court fixed the detained suspects’ matter for indictment on 6 Jan, 2021.
Earlier in April, a special anti-terrorism court of Pakistan in a trial of the ‘attack on the Chinese Consulate’ has issued arrest warrant against a rights activist Rashid Hussain, who was said to be abducted by UAE and handed over to Pakistan on June 22, 2019.
According to Rashid Hussain’s family, he was arrested from the United Arab Emirates on December 26, 2018 and handed over to Pakistan after 6 months of detention in UAE.
Rashid Hussain’s family has been staging demonstrations and holding a hunger strike camp in Quetta and Karachi for last 2 years against his enforced disappearance. Protests have also been held by activists in different European countries in front of UAE embassies for safe recovery of Rashid Hussain.
“Human rights activist Rashid Hussain Baloch was forcibly disappeared from the United Arab Emirates and illegally shifted to Pakistan. Rashid Hussain is not on a run but under custody of Pakistani intelligence agencies”. These views were expressed by Mama Qadeer Baloch, Vice Chairman of ‘Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), an organization active against the enforced disappearances in Balochistan.
Related: Pakistani rights minister concedes the arrest of missing Rashid Hussain
On a previous hearing, the Investigation Officer had filed a compliance report mentioning that non-bailable warrants could not be executed on 17 suspects allegedly absconding in the present case since their whereabouts could not be ascertained and the National Database and Registration Authority and the Election Commission of Pakistan did not have their identification data.
In a progress report, filed with the court in January 2019, the IO had stated that the militants stormed the consulate building and started firing and throwing hand-grenades and killing assistant sub-inspector and police constable, who were posted at the first security checkpoint, while another security man was injured by their firing, who was posted at the entrance to the visa section.
A pamphlet of the banned BLA was allegedly found in the possession of a militant identified as Raziq Baloch, the report said.
The report added that the BLA was supported by the Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing, RAW.
BLA’s Jeeyand Baloch claimed responsibility for the attack saying: “The main objective of the attack was to highlight Chinese exploitative designs to the world and BLA was successful in this operation.
He said that the attack was carried out by BLA’s Majeed Birgade, which comprises of ‘self sacrificing’ attackers. BLA warned in the statement that their attacks against China will continue ‘if it fails to withdraw from Balochistan’.
BLA claims it is a “pro-independence” organisation striving for the independence of Balochistan which is “illegally occupied” by Pakistan.
Related: BLA releases last video messages of Chinese consulate attackers
It is permanent to mention that two of the aforementioned “absconding offenders” by the court, Aslam Baloch and Kareem Marri were killed in a targeted suicide attack in Afghanistan, on 25 December 2018, at least a month after the Chinese consulate attack.
The Baloch Liberation Army confirmed in a statement that its top commander Ustad Aslam Baloch ‘has embraced martyrdom’ along with five others in an attack by ‘enemies’.
Several Baloch political and armed group leaders accused Pakistani secret services for the murder of Aslam Baloch.