Gilgit: CID police claim arrest of culprit behind 2012 Ittehad Chowk Blast

Our Correspondent

Gilgit, March 16: CID Police in Gilgit-Baltistan have claimed the arrest of “the main culprit” behind the Ittehad Chowk Blast, in which five people had been killed and more than 60 were injured. The blasts had taken place on April 3, 2012, during a procession of the Tanzeem Ahl-e-Sunnat wal Jammat.

According to details, a team of the CID raided the Bubar Village of Ghizar district to arrest Zulfiqar, son of Ghulam Ali, a resident of Barmas, Gilgit. The team headed by Jahangir Shah, SP CID, raided a house in Bubur at around 1 O’clock in the night. The CID police have also said that the alleged culprit was arrested after some resistance and two pistols were also recovered from his possession.

The news of the Ittehad Chowk blast had spread fast across Gilgit-Baltistan and the number and accounts of the actual incident had been exaggerated by rumour-mongers. Resultantly, a frenzied mob had stopped a number of buses near Chilas and killed around a dozen people belonging to the Shia sect. The buses were torched and many of the passengers had been stoned to death.