RAWALPINDI, April 11: Fourteen people were killed and 30 others injured when terrorists lobbed three hand-grenades and opened fire with Kalashnikovs at an Imambargah, some 134km from here in Attock district, on Tuesday night.
A Majlis was in progress in the Imambargah at the Malohwali village when the terrorists made the attack at 10-30pm. Eight people, including a policeman, were killed on the spot, two died on their way to hospital and the rest succumbed to injuries in various hospitals. According to the police, the number of the deceased was 11.
There were conflicting reports about the attack. Eyewitnesses said that moments before the attack a flame-thrower was used from the other side of the street where the Imambargah was located. They alleged that the hand-grenades were thrown from a mosque. Others said that the terrorists had gathered outside the Imambargah before they threw hand-grenades.
According to another version, masked assailants first shot dead the policeman when he offered resistance. Then they lobbed the hand-grenades on the crowd before resorting to shooting. No official version was available till 4pm on Wednesday.
Later, at the Rawalpindi's DHQ hospital, a group of eyewitnesses said that the police had been forewarned by the Imambargah management about the attack. Yet, they deplored, the police failed to provide security.
The local administration made arrangements for taking the victims to the hospitals in Rawalpindi, Pindgaib, and Attock, and CMH Rawalpindi and Holy Family Hospital.
The deceased were identified as: Hussain Ahmad, Syed Aftab Hussain Shah, son of Ghulam Hussain Shah; Anwar Hussain, Sagheer Abbas Shah, Aftab Hussain Shah, son of Hasnain Shah; Ghulam Jilani, a navy employee; policeman Mukhtar Ahmad, Hasan Abbas, Amir Raza, Mohammad Ashraf, and Syed Asad Abbas.
Names of the other deceased, including a 12-year-old boy, could not be ascertained. Five of the victims belonged to the family of Tehrik-i-Jafria Pakistan chief Syed Sajid Naqvi.
GOVERNOR'S VISIT: Punjab Governor Mohammad Safdar termed the incident an act of anti-state elements who were out to drive a wedge between various sects to serve their nefarious designs. He visited the DHQ hospital in Rawalpindi on Wednesday afternoon to inquire about the health of the injured.
Talking to newsmen, he said army and civil officials had visited the Malohwali village one day before the incident and reviewed the security arrangements. Even when the incident took place, he added, there were three police officials at the Imambargah.
To a question, he said the army had been deployed on sensitive areas in the city to ensure peace during the Ashura days and added that the deputy commissioner concerned could call for more assistance if the situation demanded so.
Talking to the TJP chief, the governor said that the entire official machinery and resources were being used to break the network of terrorists.
Allama Naqvi emphasized the need for effective security measures for preserving peace during Muharram. He described the killing as the outcome of the negligence on the part of the government.
The governor directed the chief executive and medical superintendent of the hospital to provide the best possible treatment to the injured without any fee. The Corps Commander 10, Lt-Gen Jamshed Gulzar, also visited the DHQ hospital.
The DIG police, Farid Nawaz, and commissioner of the Rawalpindi division, Zia, inspected the place of incident.
Agencies add: TJP chief belongs to the Malohwali village. There were four to five masked terrorists who attacked the Imambargah. TJP information secretary Izhar Bukhari told AFP that a grenade was thrown from the roof of an adjacent mosque allegedly by the activists of the Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP). The SSP has denied involvement.
Following the incident, troops were deployed in various cities and towns throughout Punjab.
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ATTOCK: Two SSP activists arrested in Attock
ATTOCK, April 20: A joint team of the Railways and Pindigheb police arrested two activists of Sipah-i-Sahaba (SSP), allegedly involved in Malhowali massacre, here on Friday, police sources said.
One of the accused is stated to be the younger brother of Rashid Mehmood, personal secretary to the SSP detained chief, Maulana Azam Tariq.
The accused were allegedly involved in killing of 14 mourners in an Imambargah in Malhowali on April 11, 1999.
Khalid Mehmood of Hajishah village was intercepted by Railway Police while he was travelling by an express train near Hassanabdal station and recovered three Kalashnikovs, four grenades and hundreds of bullets from his possession.
During interrogation, he disclosed the name of his accomplice Nazir Ahmed, brother of Rashid Mehmood. Pindigheb police conducted a raid on his residence in the outskirts of Gondal Mandi village, in the jurisdiction of Attock Khurd police station.
Later, the accused were shifted to some unknown place.