A day-long investigation into the attack on senior journalist anchorman Hamid Mir has thus far established that the assailants had received support from someone working at the Jinnah International Airport (JIA) Karachi.
The probe revealed that one of the assailants was present on the spot 30 minutes before the attack and he was in regular contact with his accomplice via mobile phone.
Moreover, the police have completed their paperwork by preparing visuals of the incident and recording the statements of the eye-witnesses who would be facing a three-member judicial commission that was formed by Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to probe into the attack.
During the course of investigation, it was also revealed that the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras were removed from their places before the construction of the airport flyover and were never installed again.
Twenty four hours after the attack, the wounded journalist regained consciousness in the emergency room of the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) and talked to his family members for few minutes.
On Sunday, a heavy contingent of police force from operation and investigation branches arrived at the spot to prepare visuals of the attack. They brought the driver and the guard who were sitting with Hamid Mir at the time of attack with them to prepare the visuals.
The eye-witnesses told the police that a 25-year-old man who had worn shalwar and kameez was standing beneath airport flyover and was busy with someone on his cell-phone. As his vehicle reached beneath the flyover to turn towards Sharea Faisal, he fired multiple bullets and start chasing the vehicle of Hamid Mir again,” they maintained.
Additional Inspector General (AIG) Karachi Shahid Hayat visited the spot and got briefing from the teams engaged in investigation. The AIG Karachi was told that a visual has been prepared with the help of Mir’s driver, guard and eye-witnesses. He directed the police officials to finalize the visuals and hand it over to him before 10:00 am today (Monday).
“I have an office in Falak Naz apartments and sitting along with my friends outside the office at the time of attack,” Syed Innayat Ali told the investigators. “Fortunately, I was discussing with my friends that traffic police personnel were not present today as they hold snap checking regularly beneath the flyover,” he added.
“I saw a 25-year-old man who was busy on cell-phone and again got busy with my friends,” he said, adding that “A few minutes later, I heard gun shots and when I looked at the site again, I saw that the man who was engaged on cell-phone had a gun in hand and he was going to ride the two-wheeler.” “The bike on which he rode stopped and the man who arrived with a two-wheeler to pick him was trying to start it again.”
“From statements of the eye-witnesses it was established that the attacker was getting information continuously on his cell-phone as the senior journalist arrived in the city,” a senior investigator, who wished not to be named, told Pakistan Observer.
“The level of the information the attacker had could be gauged from the fact that he crossed the road while disconnecting the call as he knew that he was sitting on the other side of the car,” he added. “In light of experience I had, I can say that the attacker had complete information from the time of Mir’s arrival at JIA Karachi,” he maintained.
Moreover, the wounded journalist regained consciousness on Sunday evening. Talking to this scribe, AKUH spokesman confirmed that Hamid Mir regained consciousness. Mir talked to his family members for a few minutes. The spokesman said that he would be kept under observation for some time.
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