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Police say TTP commander arrested

* The arrested militant, who is on the 5th spot in the 10 most wanted list, was working as a petrol pump operator in the Sohrab Goth area

By Faraz Khan

KARACHI: The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the Sindh police claimed to have arrested a wanted militant belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Swat, from a petrol pump in the Sohrab Goth area on Thursday.

SIU chief SSP Raja Umer Khattab claimed that the militant, identified as Umer Khan s/o Mehtab Khan, 32, is on the fifth spot on the 10 most wanted list, and said that his arrest was a major breakthrough in the ongoing operation against the militants in the country.

Khattab said the security forces had destroyed the residence of the arrested man during the military operation of Rah-e-Rast in Malakand division.

The police official said Khan was the commander of Kabal-Gram area of Shangla in Malakand division and was involved in various heinous crimes against the security forces.

Khattab maintained that during the military operation, Khan fled from Swat and came to Karachi, and was working as an operator at a petrol pump in the Sohrab Goth area.

“On a tip-off, a SIU special team conducted a successful raid and arrested him at the petrol pump,” the SSP claimed.

He, however, made it clear that the arrested accused was not planning to carry out any terrorist activity in Karachi.

He said one TT pistol was recovered from his possession.

The SSP said Khan’s brother also lives in Karachi, who is a peaceful man and was never involved in any terrorist activity but Khan never contacted him.

“Khan has also revealed that some of his men are currently hiding in Hyderabad, near the railway station and teams have been sent to arrest them,” Khattab said.

He said the SIU team has initiated a probe and started conducting raids to arrest his accomplices hiding in Karachi and other parts of the province.

To a query, the SIU chief said that if it is proved after the interrogation that the wanted militant had done nothing in Karachi, he would be handed over to the federal government, otherwise he would have to face the courts here.

The SSP said Karachi was the ideal hiding place for the absconding Taliban and other militants, as there was no operation being carried out against them here.

“Absconding militants prefer coming to Karachi as they can easily blend into the large Pakhtun population living here,” he observed.

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