Chaudhry Aslam SP CID martyred in Karachi Blast
By Zaheerul Hassan
A reputed Pakistan’s best known police-commander, Superintendent of Police (SP) Crime Investigation Department (CID) Chaudhry Aslam, near Essa Nagri embraced Shahdat in suicidal blast at the Lyari Expressway in Karachi today. Banned organization Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the blast. TTP also attacked his house in 2011.
Just after the blast, TTP spokesperson in Mohmand, Sajjad Mohmand, while talking to the number of media men said that his group has carried out a “successful” attack to take revenge for several Taliban members killed by the police. In fact, it was fifth attack on the slain SP. He was a fearless police officer had 29 years of experience and bitter, bloody rivalries. Over the years, he had amassed a fortune just from gathering bounties over the dozens of militants and wanted criminals in the country. Earlier in the early morning a CID team led by Aslam conducted a raid along the Northern Bypass in the Manghopir area of Karachi have killed three militants. A policeman also suffered injuries during the raid. In this blast seven other bodies of injured policemen Farhan (27) and Kamran (34) brought in Agha khan Hospital while Rehmat Ali (27), Mohammad Fayyaz (27), Hazrat Bilal (32), Mohammad Irfan (28) and Farhan Ahmed Khan (28) are understood to be critically injured.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, President Mamnoon Hussain,Bilawal Bhutto Zardari ,Chairman PPP and other political leaders have strongly condemned the incident, adding that such attacks will not deter the morale of law enforcing agencies in the fight against terrorism. According to the Inspector General Sindh said at least 20-25 kilograms of explosives were used in the blast. The bomber smashed his vehicle into Aslam’s convoy and he and two other policemen were killed, senior CID officer Iqbal Mehmood told AFP.
The blast was so powerful that it threw the shattered wreckage of Aslam’s vehicle some 20 metres (65 feet) from where it was hit. One of Aslam’s colleagues, senior officer Raja Umar Khatab, said it appeared the attackers had carried out a comprehensive recce in preparation for the attack.
“It seems that the suicide attacker was inside the car and waiting for Aslam’s car to arrive near him and blew or hit the car with Aslam’s vehicle,” he said.
While talking to various electronic Channels , the slain officer’s wife Noreen Aslam expressed about her husband: “He never once succumbed to threats, never talked of backing out. If he wanted to, he would have done so after the attack at our house. Instead, he would always say, ‘on the day I’m destined to die, no one will be able to save me, and on the day I’m not, no one could kill me.’”She further said that the other, bomb-proof car had gone for repairs since 2-3 days, and that’s why her husband had taken the other car today.
Profile: “As a Muslim, my faith tells everyone has to die one day. I’m not afraid of it.”
Aslam joined the force in 1987. He became the inspector and station house officer for the Kalakot police station in 1991 and then SHO for Gulbahar in 1994.
He was one of the few officers left alive among those who participated in the infamous clean-up operation against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in the 1990s. In 2011, following the attack on his house, Chaudhry Aslam was the first to get out of his house and pick up the bodies of the dead and injured. “I will bury the attackers in the same place here,” he had said then, as he pointed to the 8 by 6 foot crater. “I will not step back. I will carry on with my jihad [against the terrorists] until the day of judgment.”
Aslam had been frequently targeted in the past, particularly for carrying out targeted operations against terrorists in the city, but he used to say:
“As a Muslim, my faith tells everyone has to die one day. I’m not afraid of it.”
Chaudhry was a decorated grade-18 officer and his achievements include a Pakistan Police Medal, Qauid-e-Azam Police Medal and the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz awarded by the president on March 23 this year. On 8th January morning in Hangu during the conversation one of the students spotted a detonator and Aitizaz’s schoolmates ran inside. But Aitizaz stood his ground and got hold of the bomber who then detonated his vest.
“I had never thought that my brother would die such a great death. He sacrificed his life to save humanity,” Mujtaba said in an interview with the journalists.
The school is the only one in Ibrahimzai, a Shia-dominated area in Hangu. There were nearly 2,000 students in the school at the time the attack occurred. Later in the day, the bombing, which was the first suicide attack at a school, was claimed by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Aitizaz was the second of his siblings and had two sisters. He was a friend to many, respected and loved in his village, where the news of his death spread rapidly.
His father Mujahid Ali works in the UAE. He says he has not come back home to mourn his son’s death, but to celebrate his life. “My son made his mother cry, but saved hundreds of mothers from crying for their children.”
In short, there is a need to take ruthless actions against TTP and other terrorist organizations since they do not deserve any sympathy. Government should stop carrying out negotiations with the terrorists and give open hand to the security forces for elimination these terrorism.
The writer can be approached through zameer36@gmail.com
