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Security forces killed four terrorists who attempted to storm the Pakistan Stock Exchange compound in Karachi in a gun and grenade attack on Monday morning.
According to a police statement, one sub-inspector and two security guards were martyred in the attack. Seven people, including three police officials, have been injured, the statement said.
The attackers, armed with grenades and automatic rifles, launched the attack and attempted to enter the PSX compound.
Police and Rangers officials arrived at the scene soon after the attack and killed all four attackers, Sindh Rangers said. A clearance operation was held later.
Police said that advanced weaponry, hand grenades and explosive material was recovered from the terrorists’ custody. Officials of the Bomb Disposal Unit also arrived at the scene of the attack and scoured the site, including a “suspected car” parked outside PSX that may have been used by the terrorists, for any explosive material.
Additional inspector general of Police, Karachi directed to tighten the security of all important offices and trading centres across the city.
Police surgeon Dr Qarar Ahmed Abbasi said that seven bodies and seven injured, including policemen, have been brought at the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi.
Rizwan Ahmend, a police official at the scene, said that food supplies were found on the bodies of the gunmen, indicating they may have planned a long siege, which police quickly thwarted.
Inside the stock exchange, broker Yaqub Memon said that he and others were huddled inside their offices while the attack was underway.
Sindh Rangers Director General Umer Ahmed Bukhari, during a press conference, said that the terrorists were eliminated within eight minutes. He told reporters that a combined operation by security agencies started at 10:02am and the attackers were killed by 10:10am.
Once the attackers were killed, security forces carried out a clearance operation and normalcy was restored to the area within 30-35 minutes.
He said that the terrorists had planned a long assault, that included bloodshed and holding people inside the building hostage. All the attackers were equipped with AK47s, hand grenades and food.
The DG said that a tweet had been posted in which the attack has been attributed to the Balochistan Liberation Army outfit, adding that a final statement on it will be issued after investigation.
In response to a question, the DG acknowledged that the attack bore similarities to an attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi that was carried out by BLA militants in 2018.
Bukhari added that the possibility of the involvement of foreign agencies, especially India’s Research and Analysis Wing, cannot be ruled out, saying that such attacks are not “stand-alone incidents” and cannot take place without the aid of “outside intelligence agencies”.
Responding to a question regarding whether the incident was an “intelligence failure”, Bukhari said: “It is very easy to call everything an ‘intelligence failure’. But I won’t call it an intelligence failure because this is a very big city and it is not possible that four terrorists can sit in a car in the morning and do [something] like this.’
He added that the security forces’ response was “in place” and pointed out that the militants “could not achieve any of their motives”.
Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon also backed Bukhari’s statement, saying that since the attack on Chinese consulate, there have been other attempts that were foiled by security agencies. He said that it was a triumph for the country’s security forces as they had responded promptly and thwarted the motives of the attackers.
“We were prepared when they came, we had a good response, we had good coordination with intelligence,” he said.
Bukhari said that the militants may have wanted to show that they have the ability to target high profile places but they had been humiliated because they were eliminated within minutes. The Sindh Rangers DG said that investor confidence in the country had increased.
“There is no doubt that this was a terrorist attack. I want to thank the security guards who embraced martyrdom for their service. The response of police and security forces was unbelievable. Our personal guards deterred the terrorists until police came in; they were not allowed to enter the building at all,” said Mehdi.
PSX Managing Director Farrukh Khan termed the attack “unfortunate” and praised the security forces for their timely response. He said the number of people in the compound was lower than normal — usually close to 6,000 — since many employees were working from home due to Covid-19.
He said that the terrorists were intercepted outside the entrance and only one of them had entered the compound, and that also “only a few steps”. None of them entered the trading hall or the building, said Khan, adding that trading had not stopped and was still continuing.
Following the attack at PSX, Islamabad Inspector General Mohammad Amir Zulfiqar Khan issued a security high alert and directed all senior officials to remain at their zones. Checking at all entry and exit points of the city has been increased and citizens have been told to cooperate with the police.
He instructed senior officials to personally check security arrangements and present their reports.
