On Tuesday, police announced the arrest of the alleged mastermind behind the deadly assault on a Rangers camp in Karachi last month, stating that the militants received training and support from Afghanistan.
The attack took place on the night of June 27 when militants stormed the local headquarters of the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) in Karachi’s Gulistan‑i‑Jauhar district, resulting in three security personnel killed and four wounded, according to the Inter‑Services Public Relations (ISPR).
ISPR said the assault was carried out by militants linked to the Indian‑backed group Jamaatul Ahrar (JuA), noting that three attackers were killed in the ensuing firefight and one apprehended, identified as an Afghan national.
At a press conference held alongside Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, City Senior Superintendent of Police Irfan Bahadur outlined the role of Afghan‑based elements in the planning and execution of the operation.
Bahadur identified the alleged mastermind as Qari Basheer, also known as Qari Habib, who was detained during a Rangers operation following the incident.
Lanjar added, “All of the terrorists’ handlers were directing them from Afghan soil, aiming to inflict maximum damage in the city, undermine Karachi’s peace, take hostages and spread public terror.”
He said that after the attack, law‑enforcement agencies uncovered a network of facilitators involved in the plot through a thorough investigation.
Detailing the assault, SSP Bahadur described four stages: first, the planning and training of the militants in Afghanistan; second, the transfer of four Afghan terrorists from Afghanistan to Karachi.
He noted that there was continued Afghan backing for the facilitator network in Karachi, with instructions provided “all the way to the final stage” from across the border.
Finally, the attackers were supplied with weapons, ammunition and suicide vests, he said.
Bahadur identified the suicide bomber as Janaan, a resident of Afghanistan’s Farah province. Another militant, Bilal alias Hadi, originated from Bajaur and later relocated to Kandahar.
The third militant killed in the exchange was named Umer Farooq, hailing from Kunar, Afghanistan. The detained attacker, injured at the time of arrest, was identified as Usman Sher Mohammad from Nangarhar.
The senior officer said that those involved in plotting the attack included Noor Wali, leader of the Indian‑proxy Fitna al‑Khawarij—a term the government uses for the banned Tehreek‑i‑Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Additional accomplices named were Sher Wali alias Mukhlisyar and TTP Shura member Saeed Shah, who reportedly supplied all necessary information to Baseer, a JuA leader, which the SSP also described as an Indian proxy.
According to Bahadur, these three individuals contacted Qari Basheer in Afghanistan and brought him to Pakistan, entrusting him with overall responsibility for the attack.
More to follow
