Airport attack: Nisar asks Sindh govt to order inquiry
13 June, 2014
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has asked the Sindh government to initiate a judicial inquiry by a high court judge into terrorist attack on Karachi Airport so that negligence on the part of officials concerned could be ascertained.
The Sindh government had been forewarned of threats to the old airport gate, which was used by terrorists during the June 8 attack, he said while talking to the press outside the Parliament House on Thursday.
Nisar said that the federal government had written to the Sindh government in March, specifically stating that old airport's gates in Karachi were not secure. The report had mentioned that terrorists were aware of these insecure gates at the Karachi airport, but, he said, despite the warning, no measures were taken by the provincial government.
Nisar said that the federal government had informed the Sindh government that terrorists have carried out photography of said places, but the Sindh government didn't carry out its responsibility.
"We (Interior Ministry) are providing all of available information in compulsion and they (Sindh government) are trying to create confusion through baseless statements," he added.
The interior minister said that the airport was not located in India that the provincial government was helpless.
"Why was an action not taken on any of the intelligence alerts? Is it not the responsibility of the Sindh government?" he questioned. He further asked as to if terrorists had entered the airport via "parachutes" or "helicopters".
Nisar said that the country was entering critical times and that the federal as well as provincial governments should be mindful of their responsibilities. He said that the said incident had occurred at the airport, so there was no need for calling a meeting at another place. "Providing relief to the masses is the responsibility of the chief minister," he asserted. The interior minister further said that since the incident, six security alerts had been sent to the Sindh government.
"What action had been taken in light of these alerts by those individuals (Sindh government functionaries), who are apologising daily for the Karachi airport attack?" he asked.
The minister also questioned as to why no security checks had been set up in the sensitive area, which was used by terrorists to enter the airport.
He said that upon his arrival in Karachi, the chief minister and the inspector general of police were informed of a meeting; however, he failed to understand the logic of the meeting being held at any other location when the attack had taken place at the airport.
Nisar said that he was under an impression that the airport had been cleared, and in fact, he had asked for the wall of the cold storage to be broken.
He said that provision of relief and rescue was the responsibility of the Sindh government, but he (Nisar) was the one, who had called for machinery to aid in rescue efforts.
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