KARACHI: The Counter-Terrorism Department’s (CTD) Intelligence Wing conducted a search in Orangi Town, arresting a suspect, Abid Husain, and recovering five bags of ‘commercial explosives’ from his possession, according to CTD officer Raja Umer Khattab.
He stated that the arrested suspect has been involved in the sale and acquisition of commercial explosives for an extended length of time. “The held suspect had made important disclosures and further action was being taken in light of those disclosures,” according to a news statement issued by CTD.
The raid was carried out following a recent decision made at a meeting of the Intelligence Coordination Conference (ICC) in Islamabad.
According to Mr Khattab’s statement, the ICC’s 26th annual conference was held in Islamabad on January 24, and was attended by top CTD officers from all four provinces: Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir. The participants resolved to monitor the sale and purchase of commercial explosive material in order to avoid its abuse for potential terrorist actions. IGP Sindh then delegated the duty to the CTD.
As a result, the CTD conducted searches across the city and gathered data on all licence holders working in the commercial explosives business, as well as taking action against individuals who were unlicensed and involved in the unlawful sale/purchase of commercial explosives.
The deputy commissioner tended to issue licenses for commercial explosives businesses with certain safety conditions and explosive quantity limits, but certain elements stocked commercial explosives in large quantities and did not keep track of any sale/purchase, according to the statement.
During the action, it was also discovered that a large quantity of explosive chemicals and inflammable material was being transported from other provinces to Karachi, with no safety precautions being taken, according to the report, which also stated that certain transporters were involved in the business.
Maria Ghanchi