Ch. Aslam____An Other Victim of The Support For Taliban!

The Chief of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Sindh Police Chaudhry Muhammad Aslam has been killed in a deadly attack along with three other policemen. Apparently, his vehicle was targeted by a bomb blast at Liyari Express way in Issa Nagri area. Ch. Aslam had killed and arrested many key terrorists commanders in past. Taliban had targeted him on many occasions.

Last year his vehicle was also targeted at the same place where he was killed on Thursday. On September19, 2011, eight people were killed and several were injured in a suicide attack on his residence. In 2010, the terrorists blew up the head office of CID in Karachi with the aim to eliminate Aslam and other senior officials. At that time Aslam and other senior officials were not in the building.

Immediately after the attack at Ch. Aslam, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the blast. TTP spokesperson in Mohmand, Sajjad Mohmand, told the media that the group has carried out a “successful” attack to take revenge for several Taliban members killed by the police.

The sad news not only shocked Karachi police, but also created fear in the minds of the common people as he was acting like a shield against the TTP terrorists for the people. His assassination was strongly condemned by the people from all walks of life including the PM. Nawaz Sharif, COAS Raheel Sharif, President Mamnoon Hussain, IG Police, CM Sindh, Qaim Ali Shah, Sharjeel Memon, JI`s Munawwqr Hassan etc. However, very interestingly, none of them named TTP in their statements. Even Sindh Rangers and Police Chief of Karachi Shahid Hayat, who were politicizing every notable incident of violence, could not name TTP at all despite the fact that TTP`s Shahid Ullah Shahid had claimed the responsibility. The question is, why not?  

It is on record that as soon as the internationally wanted terrorist and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)`s Chief Hakeem Ullah Mehsud was killed in a US drone attack, almost all the religious as well as the political parties expressed their grief over the death of TTP`s chief. The government of Pakistan strongly condemned the US drone attack killing TTP`s head. The Federal Interior Minister Ch. Nisar held an important press conference and termed the killing of Hakeem Ullah as the murder of peace in the region. He emotionally said, “You can’t hold talks when a body is lying in your courtyard”. However, Ch. Nisar has not yet shown his similar reaction on such a big loss of the country. Logically speaking, this was the time when he should have held a press conference and announced not to hold talks with Taliban anymore; this is the time when he deserves to say, “We can’t hold talks with TTP when a body is lying in our courtyard”. Why is his reaction in a routine say?

PTI`s Imran Khan, JI`s Munawar Hassan and JUI-F`s Fazal-ul-Rehman also reacted in the same way. Why did they not feel the same pain for Ch. Aslam as they did on the death of TTP`s Hakeem Ullah Mehsud? Why have they not declared Ch. Aslam a “Martyr”? Was he also inferior to the holly dogs of Moulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, who would deserve to be called martyrs? The question is, are they with the people of Pakistan or the Taliban terrorists? 

The media raised very important questions regarding how Ch. Aslam was hit. The Initial reports claimed that a suicide bomber smashed his vehicle into Aslam’s convoy, but latter on the investigators said that they believed the bomb was planted on the way and exploded through remote control. As per the media reports, Ch. Aslam also received a suspicious call from his office that made him leave his house immediately. Whose call was it, how did the TTP terrorists know in advance about Ch. Aslam`s route and the timing, all these aspects indicate the presence of the insiders in the Police. The investigators still need to gather concrete evidences in order to arrive at who leaked all that information and how attack was conducted. 

In fact, there is a long of the terrorist attacks in the country especially including the attacks at GHQ, Bannu Prison, Mehran, Kamra Air Base and now the Ch. Aslam. All these incidents clearly indicate that the TTP mindset has penetrated in the sensitive areas as well. Whether we speak of the political and religious parties, their followers on ground, law-enforcement agencies, electronic and print media or civil society, there are people who have soft corner for the extremists. On top of it, the western media and the governments too have been claiming about the presence of the Taliban supports in the Pakistani military establishment as well. This surely makes a very horrible picture of our future.     

Therefore, the people of Pakistan will have to draw a clear line between the supporters and the opponents of the Taliban terrorists so that combined efforts can be made not only to save the human lives, but also the country. Otherwise, the rapidly increasing activities and the influence of Taliban in the country are multiplying the serious threats for all of us.