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KARACHI: CID Police suffered a major blow as SP Chaudhry Aslam and two other policemen were martyred while 11 more sustained injuries in a blast in the Essa Nagri area near the Lyari Expressway.

The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Mohamand Agency claimed responsibility for the attack.

DIG Munir Sheikh said the bomb was a planted device and according to reports over 20-25 kilograms of explosives were used. Two police mobiles which were part of Aslam’s convoy were damaged in the blast.

The DIG further said that Aslam’s regular vehicle was being repaired; however the vehicle he was traveling in at the time of the blast was also bullet-proof.

Initially it was reported that the blast was a suicide attack and the bombers had arrived at the site in a yellow cab.

Condemning the attack, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said the attack was being investigated.

CPLC chief Ahmed Chinoy said the attack will not dampen the morale of Sindh police and the operation against the terrorists would continue.

Meanwhile, CID anti-extremism cell In-charge Raja Umar Khattab said: “Tehreek-e-Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi were and still are a threat.”

He vowed to continue the mission of Chaudhry Aslam.

Reactions

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack and called Chaudhry Aslam a brave officer, saying his sacrifice would not go to waste.

PPP Patron-in-Chief, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tweeted: “Shaheed Chaudary Aslam had been threatened & attacked B4. He didn’t back down. He died a brave man. Shame on cowards.”

MQM chief Altaf Hussain called for the immediate arrest of terrorists behind the attack. He added that terrorist activity in a major city like Karachi was a great cause of concern.

The attack was also condemned by PTI chairman Imran Khan who placed responsibility on authorities in Sindh.

Chaudhry Aslam, was seen as one of Pakistan’s toughest police officers. He survived several attacks on his life, including a suicide attack on his residence in September 2011 in which almost eight people were killed

Starting his career as an ASI in 1984, Muhammad Aslam Khan, commonly known as Chaudhry Aslam, was serving as the Superintendent Police (SP) of the Central Investigation Department (CID). He had served as a station house officer (SHO) at a number of police stations in the metropolis.

He originally hailed from Manshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Chaudhry was added in front of his name due to his role in the Karachi operation. In 2010, Khan was appointed as a head of the Investigation Wing of the CID. Earlier, he also headed the Lyari Task Force (LTF) to uproot gangsters from Lyari.