The tremendous performance of the Pakistan Army, and other law enforcement agencies involved in counter-insurgency operations and eliminating the major pockets of terrorism in Pakistan notwithstanding, the fact remains that it is almost impossible to completely wipe out this security menace, particularly when terrorists can take refuge in urban centers or even in some tribal areas. Many city centers and residential areas around the world have become battlefields, conflicts having moved into the homes and lives of ordinary people. The situation in Pakistan is not so grim but militants still retain some capacity to strike. Pakistan’s enemies, and there are many who collude with local disgruntled elements to create mayhem and undermine Pakistan’s efforts for stability and progress.
On Friday, Nov 23 an attack was launched on the Chinese Consulate General (CG) in Karachi’s upscale Clifton area at around 9.10 in the morning. Three heavily armed militants tried to force their way into the Consulate after parking their stolen Toyota Liana bearing Plate AKS-973 at a distance. They lobbed a grenade at the check post outside the Consulate’s main gate manned by two policemen, (ASI Ashraf Dawood and Constable Amir Khan). Both policemen were martyred. Two civilian visa seekers from Quetta, Niaz Muhammad and Zahir Shah, died in the hail of bullets and a guard passing by on his way to duty was badly injured.
Inside the Visa Section two male security guards of SMS, Shaukat and Kamran and a Lady Searcher Ruby Razzak deployed there played a very significant role in a satisfactory management of what could have turned out to be a horrible episode. Two Chinese visa staff members, 10 visa applicants and two other people were present. Hearing the volley of bullets and grenade explosions a state of anxiety and panic prevailed. The SMS personnel acted swiftly, firstly phoning the Police 15 Helpline and informing them about the attack. Seeing the militants approaching rapidly and under fire, they quickly gathered all the civilians and herded them into the washroom, “to keep them safe from stray bullets”. They then blocked the door of the Visa Section from the inside by placing tables/ chairs and whatever they could find against the door. As the firing and explosions continued, the guards and the lady searcher continued speaking calmly to the civilians, that helped in keeping them remain composed.
In the meantime reinforcements of law enforcement agencies (LEAs) including the Police, Rangers and FC arrived and surrounded the area. In the firefight that ensued, all the three militants were killed. Later the police recovered a pair of suicide jackets that were all set to go off, extra magazines with ammunition, slabs of C-4 explosives, several types of grenades and two SMGs from the militants’ vehicle.
A spokesman of the Sindh Rangers very rightly commented that “the attack was foiled due to timely action by police, Rangers and FC personnel” and that “all diplomatic staff remained safe.” The prompt action averted what could have been a tragedy of horrendous proportions. If successful the repercussions for Pakistan would have been truly unimaginable. In hind sight, the seeming ease with which heavily armed attackers driving a vehicle full of weapons and explosives were able to reach their intended target in a Red Zone should raise questions from a security perspective . According to a report in a leading newspaper, Dawn, “at the time of the attack around 35 security personnel from the Sindh Police, Rangers and FC were deployed on security duties at the consulate.”
While one can only laud the excellent work done by our LEAs in managing the situation and saving the day, one also wishes that others who acted with valour would also have been given some recognition by Sindh govt officials, the LEAs or the media. The two security guards and lady searcher went above and beyond the call of duty. Their presence of mind and quick thinking prevented possible civilian deaths and injuries as the militants hurled a grenade and were firing weapons directly at the door of the Visa Section. Barricading the door from the inside was a very good tactical move, even if the door had been broken down, the clutter of furniture would have provided a barricade of sorts to the militants and given the LEAs who were behind, a precious few seconds. In the situation that the civilians found themselves and knowing they were under attack by terrorists, panic and terror would have set in. Anything could have happened in the few minutes in the small bathroom filled with about 15 people who would have literally gone out of their minds. The three brave security personnel remained calm as the crisis unfolded, they spoke to the civilians telling them not to worry, that help would come soon and did everything in their power to calm them down. Can anyone imagine what would have happened if a panic stricken person would have run out of the bath room to save himself? Allah has indeed been merciful.
While one does not want to it play down these events, a firsthand report by a retired officer Lt Col Chaudhry Muhammad Sabahuddin (68th PMA, Artillery and Aviation) who was in his office in Dolmen Mall sheds a different light on events. To quote him, “I was in my office when I heard a blast but initially was unable to ascertain anything. I initially called the Security Head of the British Consulate and others because I felt that was the direction of the blast. However no one confirmed anything. Meanwhile I started hearing sounds of exchange of fire accompanied by two to three blasts, I also saw smoke coming out from the outer parameters of the Chinese Consulate so I sent images of the area via WhatsApp to some friends in LEAs informing them about a possible attack on the Chinese Consulate. I am of the opinion that much before any backup actually arrived from the Rangers, SSU or the Police, the Frontier Corps personnel, local policemen and Rangers who were on duty at the Consulate knocked out the terrorists. I believe that by the time the lady ASP arrived on the scene, the attackers had been killed by either the Rangers or FC guards already deployed there. The lady ASP got advantage of her early presence in her office nearby in Clifton Police Station. Once the attackers were killed, she entered the Consulate and reported developments. Some pertinent queries need to be answered i.e. (a) Who was the first man to return fire on the assailants? FC solider, (b) After how much time did Police reinforcement reach the site? Approximately 30 min (c) How is it possible for Police SSU commandos to reach the spot from Hassan Square, should the whole encounter be still going on halted? (d) Did the early ASP team fire even a single shot? No. (e) Why credit of other LEAs, who actually opened fire is not being given? (f) The images of ASP show her moving at a relaxed pace while holding a gun in hand. Why is not a single policeman taking up a position to fire at the target? Even her own guards did not opt to take up a position to open fire (g) Her roaming about, calling for an ambulance, reinforcement, and reporting on time worked well. But actually she did not participate in the encounter at all. Lessons learnt: this later becomes a photo session for good media coverage to create positive perceptions and personnel fortunes”. Unquote.
The Special Security Unit (SSU) is an elite unit of the Sindh Police specifically meant to deal with such special circumstances. One is concerned about the amount of time it took for the SSU to reach the scene; it is not acceptable. However, it was certainly not their fault given they are located halfway across the city and traffic must have been heavy. Most of the security sensitive locations and individuals in Karachi, in particular diplomatic entities, are in South Karachi (the so-called Red Zone). The powers-that-be must locate a sub-unit of SSU in the vicinity, will the IG Sindh Police kindly quickly rectify this anomaly? A lesson learnt for all should be that instead of indulging in media-hype and self-congratulations, one should not distort facts to build false perceptions of favorites as it compromises security.
