KARACHI, Jan 7: An inquiry tribunal investigating the Oct 18 Karsaz blasts was told on Monday that a team of the Special Branch’s Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) combed Sharea Faisal ahead of the procession of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto upon her arrival in the country, but it had no equipment to detect a suicide bomber in the crowd.
“Why did the bomb disposal squad fail to detect the explosives before the blasts if it was in possession of metal and explosives detectors,” tribunal chief Justice (retd) Dr Ghaus Mohammad asked SSP Security Shahab Mazhar Bhalli of the Sindh police’ Special Branch.
Monday’s proceedings focused on the deposition of SSP Bhalli, who said he had attended a meeting held on Oct 17, 2007 and presided over by the Sindh police chief to discuss various issues relating to security arrangements on the arrival of Ms Bhutto. Additional advocate-general Arshad Lodhi assisted the tribunal in examining the witness.
The witness identified four areas relating to the Special Branch, including security clearance of all media persons before allowing them to the venue; installation of walkthrough gates at Terminal 1 and other places and metal and explosive detectors; deployment of teams of the bomb disposal squad in front of and at the rear of the procession and searching all mosques and madressahs along the route of the procession.
The SSP explained that the Special Branch arranged the walkthrough gates and its personnel had metal and explosive detectors. He said an advance BDS team was also carrying out technical sweeping on the road along the route ahead of Ms Bhutto’s procession.
The tribunal repeated its question and asked him whether the BDS possessed equipment to pinpoint a human carrying explosive device. The SSP replied that the BDS teams were not equipped with a special instrument to detect a human carrying an explosive device.
No ideal situation
However, the SSP claimed that in an ideal situation the BDS could detect a person carrying explosive material. “The security measures were prepared in consultation with representatives of the Pakistan People’s Party in an ideal form, but in my opinion the situation on the ground was not ideal.”
He deposed that the BDS teams deployed at front and rear of Ms Bhutto’s motorcade were headed by Inspector Mohammad Iqbal and Sub-inspector Nasab Hussain and on Oct 18 they were in the operational command of an officer who had been deputed by the capital city police officer (CCPO) to lead the procession.
The tribunal asked him whether he was aware of the fact that some 300 to 400 PPP volunteers were checked by Special Branch personnel. He replied that the Special Branch did not check 300 to 400 PPP workers who had encircled the float but a BDS team was taken to the float to carry out the technical sweeping.
“In the light of your experience, do you think their (PPP volunteers’) checking was not necessary?” Justice Ghaus asked, to which the SSP said “in principle those persons should have been checked”.
He went on to say that at the Oct 17 meeting PPP representative Dr Zulfiqar Mirza had volunteered that the PPP workers also be checked by the law enforcement agencies. “Then why were they not checked?” the tribunal asked.
Media persons’ checking
SSP Bhalli deposed that one of his subordinates, DSP Fateh, who was at Terminal 1 to check the media persons and other authorised persons, informed him that a procession of around 5,000 to 6,000 people had entered the security area at Terminal 1, and under the circumstances nothing could be done.
“DSP Fateh also informed me that it was beyond his capacity to do the job on the spot due to such a large crowd. I told him to coordinate with Major (retd) Imtiaz regarding checking of 300 to 400 PPP volunteers.”
The SSP told the tribunal that the main float and all vehicles of PPP leaders were supposed to reach Terminal 1 on Oct 17 at 1400 hours for search and technical sweeping. However, the PPP did not comply with it, he said, adding that as per the original plan the float and other vehicles were again to be searched on Oct 18 at 0600 hours in the presence of PPP leaders and the SHO of Airport before handing them over. Instead, the float reached Terminal 1 on Oct 18 at about 1215 hours, whereas Ms Bhutto arrived there at 1330 hours.
The SSP testified that at the time of checking of the float, Major (retd) Imtiaz was reminded of the checking of 300 to 400 PPP volunteers, but he told DSP Fateh that due to a shortage of time preference be given to sweeping of the float.
With regard to the security clearance of media personnel before allowing them access to Terminal 1, he deposed that he was informed that about 250 media persons were cleared. However, he was not provided with a list of the security cleared newsmen.Answering a question, the SSP said he did not seek the names and a complete list of the media personnel for verification and security clearance because the PPP leadership had informed him that they had made separate arrangements, but they did not give a list or the total number of the mediamen before their security clearance.
“Were you satisfied that no unauthorised person was among the media persons?” asked the tribunal, upon which the SSP replied that he was satisfied as he knew that other agencies were also present in the vicinity.
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