Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant-General Asim Bajwa made media briefing of brutal attack on the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda carried out on January 20, 2016.
Asim Saleem Bajwa revealed details of the horrific terror attack on the varsity carried out by ‘four terrorists and four facilitators’ that claimed at least 21 lives and scores were wounded.
A recorded telephone conversation between ‘terrorists and a reporter’ was played by the DG-ISPR while starting the press conference with the militants claiming responsibility of the attack.
DG-ISPR said that the reporter was receiving the telephone call on a Pakistani phone from Afghan phone and SIM card. He said that all four terrorists were killed during the operation in the varsity.
Bajwa presented movement of the terrorists by showing a map of Mardan and Charsadda. He said that the terrorists entered from Torham checkpost area in Afghanistan en route Mardan through public transport. Two facilitators Adil and Riaz received the militants and kept them into houses situated on the Mardan-Charsadda road, he added.
Adil was identified as a labourer who had done some masonry work in the university, and made map of the inside area to explain details to the attackers. The facilitators purchased a rickshaw and travelled to nearby Ibrahimzai University from where they travelled to Bacha Khan University, he said.
However, Asim Bajwa rejected to comment on external factors involved in the terror attack. The spokesperson said that he was not in position to directly nominate any person in the attack. He named the terrorists as Umar, Usman, Ali Muhammad and Abid while he said that facilitators of the attack were arrested by the security forces.
He said that the terrorists made telephonic conversation 10 times with the handler in Afghanistan. Ammunition was provided in Dara Adam Khel while wife and niece, who were still at large, involved in carrying arms for them.
Asim Bajwa appealed nationals to be united against the terrorism instead of disappointment. He appealed nationals to support authorities by reporting unusually activities in their surroundings to completely eliminate terrorism across the country.
While answering a question regarding security of Afghanistan-Pakistan border areas, Bajwa said that it is impossible to seal 2600 kilometer long border but moves were being taken to maintain border management. He said that the country is witnessing improvements in different agencies of FATA. He reiterated that the country has also witnessed benefits of Operation Zarb-e-Azb commenced in June 2014 which significantly bettered the law and order situation.
Earlier, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif paid visit to Corps Commanders Headquarters in Peshawar on Saturday and chaired an important meeting with Corps Commanders Peshawar, operation commanders to review the security situation which was also attended by Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (DG-ISI), DG Military Intelligence, DG Military Operation (MO), DG ISPR Lieutenant-General Asim Saleem Bajwa.
The meeting reviewed ongoing operations in FATA including intelligence-based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan-Afghanistan border management. COAS also reviewed progress of investigation into Charsadda incident.
