• Last rites of 12 cops martyred in Machka’s deadly rocket attack held
• Police claim killing one dacoit, injuring five responsible for assault
• 20 high-value targets marked as Punjab intensifies crackdown on Katcha outlaws
• Sindh assures full support to Punjab counterparts

RAHIM YAR KHAN/LAHORE/KARACHI: The last rites of 12 policemen, martyred in a deadly rocket ambush on the Punjab-Sindh border, were held on Friday as the Punjab government removed three police officers in Rahim Yar Khan and announced a bounty for the arrest of the hardened criminals behind the audacious attack.

Meanwhile, Punjab Police claimed to have killed one dacoit and injured five others thought to be responsible for the attack on a police party in the riverine area of Machka.

Thursday’s assault has been described as the deadliest attack carried out so far by gangs operating in the riverine areas of Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur in south Punjab and Ghotki and Kashmore in Sindh.

Accounts from injured personnel, who are under treatment at hospital, suggest that their vehicles had not broken down; rather they were ambushed by outlaws who were lying in wait in sugarcane fields along the roadside.

Meanwhile, Sindh Police have assured their Punjab counterparts of full support in action against the criminal gangs operating in riverine areas, and Sindh Inspector General Ghulam Nabi Memon told Dawn that future Punjab Police actions against these outlaws would have their full support.

The Sindh police chief said that they were prepared to provide support by deploying forces on possible escape routes and providing armoured personnel carriers and other necessary equipment.

High-value targets

On Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced a Rs10 million bounty for high-value targets among the dacoits, and Rs5m to Rs2.5m for other dangerous robbers operating in the Katcha areas.

“We have marked 20 high-value targets in the Katcha areas of Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur,” Ins­pe­ctor General of Police Dr Usman Anwar told Dawn.

The provincial police chief said that police had made progress and claimed the killing of hardened dacoit Bashir Shar during a hot pursuit. Shar is said to be one of the men behind Thursday’s attack on the police party.

Dr Anwar said that five of Shar’s accomplices, including Sanaullah Shar, Gada Ali, Kamlu Shar, Ramzan Shar and Gadi were also injured in the police’s action.

“The next target is another most wanted dacoit and we are vigorously pursuing him in the riverine area of Rahim Yar Khan,” he said.

The provincial police chief reached Rahim Yar Khan along with the additional inspector general of the Punjab Counter Terrorism Department and other senior police officers late on Thursday night.

Senior representatives from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Special Branch, Rangers and other security agencies were also present.

CM Maryam Nawaz had directed the police chief to remain in Rahim Yar Khan until Sunday, and tasked him with leading a large-scale operation, launched in coordination of the Sindh police.

Action was initiated against Rahim Yar Khan District Police Officer (DPO) Imran Ahmad Malik over his alleged failure to ensure the safe and secure movement of local police as per standard guidelines in the troubled area.

In a notification on Friday night, the Punjab government transferred Punjab CTD SSP Rizwan Umar Gondal as the new DPO of Rahim Yar Khan.

This is Mr Gondal’s second posting as Rahim Yar Khan DPO — he had previously led a major operation against Katcha outlaws there in 2023, which spanned several weeks and was deemed a success.

He has also headed Mianwali police, another district where such criminals are a massive headache.

Deployment

Sindh IGP Ghulam Nabi Memon told Dawn on Friday that the forces of both provinces had coordination under which they shared intelligence information about the bandits.

Subsequently, a red alert was issued and police officials were deployed on possible escape routes by both provinces. He recalled that in the past, when a Punjab Police team went deep into the Katcha area and got stuck they were assisted by Sindh, which sent in APCs and cut off the supply lines of the criminal gangs.

After Thursday’s tragic incident, he said, Sindh Police also deployed APCs and additional equipment to help with the retrieval process.

However, he pointed out that there was no clear demarcation of areas in the riverine belt and pointed out that if certain islands were in one province, its peripheral areas were located in another province.

Now, it has been decided to further enhance the coordination in the areas around the Sindh-Punjab border, he said.

IGP Memon revealed that criminals use bunkers dotted around the Katcha area to hide from and engage law enforcers, as well as take cover in forested areas or remote islands in the Indus.

Law enforcement sources said the use of rocket launchers by the outlaws had sent alarm bells ringing as such weapons were mostly used by terrorists, including the proscribed BLA and other outfits operating in Balochistan.

They said the senior police officers wanted collaborated action by other provinces in order to yield positive results.

Punjab Police have now recalled 199 police personnel of the Punjab Constabulary (PC) from Rahim Yar Khan and directed them to report to their parent districts of Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur.

They will replace them with PC personnel belonging to the Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur districts.

Funerals

The last rites of the 12 martyred policemen were offered at Sadiq Shaheed Police Lines in Rahim Yar Khan on Friday.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, IGP Dr Usman Anwar, Punjab Home Secretary Noorul Amin Mengal, army and police officers, relatives of the martyrs and members of the public attended the funerals.

While 11 of the policemen were martyred in a battle with the outlaws, while one passed away on the way to the hospital.

After a police contingent presented a guard of honour to the martyrs, their bodies were dispatched to their native areas for burial.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2024