BADIN: A youth who was wounded in a blast at his house late on Wednesday evening was arrested along with four other suspects on suspicion of plotting to carry out terrorist attacks in Badin and Tharparkar districts. The inmates, however, kept insisting that their house was attacked on religious grounds as they belonged to the Ahmadi community.

A large number of people came out of their houses in Gurgez Mohallah situated in Ward-4 of Badin city late on Wednesday evening after hearing the deafening sound of the blast. They rushed to the Ahmadi family’s house after establishing the location of the blast and found 17-year-old Imran Gurgez lying scared and wounded.

The area police also reached the house and carried out a thorough search after which they claimed that some explosive devices, a detonator and other related material were seized from within the house.

An FIR (159/2016) was registered against Imran and two other suspects, Mansoor and Ali Mohammed, under the relevant sections of the anti-terrorism and explosives acts on behalf of the state at the Model police station, SHO Ibrahim Jatoi said.

While police confirmed the arrest of the three suspects, it was learnt that two more unknown suspects were picked up in Badin soon after the blast and another 10 later in raids at various places in Tharparkar, Mithi and Islamkot. The three arrested suspects were extensively interrogated at the Model police station before they were shifted to an undisclosed place, sources said.

Badin SSP Abdul Qayyum Pitafi told Dawn on Thursday that a plot to carry out terrorist attacks in Badin and Tharparkar stood exposed due to the Gurgez Mohallah incident in which an explosive device went off.

“The matter is being thoroughly investigated,” he said.

He hinted that the two other suspects arrested after the blast and several more were believed to be involved in the plot. He confirmed that raids were being carried out at different places in Badin and Tharparkar districts to apprehend the suspects’ associates.

The SSP said that Imran suffered multiple wounds and burns and was being provided medical treatment but avoided disclosing the place where he was being treated.

Meanwhile, Imran’s uncle, Ali Akbar Gurgez, speaking to Dawn rejected the police claim that explosive devices, detonator or other such material was seized from the house. He claimed that someone threw explosives into the house from outside. He said the explosives landed on the rooftop where Imran was playing with his mobile phone.

“The blast left Imran seriously wounded and we immediately informed the area police, who took Imran to the Model police station and some other places for interrogation, instead of a hospital for an emergency treatment,” Mr Gurgez said.

He also claimed that Imran’s father, Ali Asghar, was picked up by police in Islamkot town of Tharparkar.

Mr Gurgez said the Ahmadi community in Badin and Tharparkar had been facing violence against them for long by religious extremists and were also being discriminated against in various spheres.

SHO Jatoi said that police were investigating the matter from all angles “but we have collected convincing evidence against the wounded suspect and his associates”.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2016