MULTAN: Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Multan registered an FIR after eight alleged terrorists were killed during an encounter on Wednesday night, officials said here on Thursday. The bodies of all eight terrorists were sent to Nishtar Hospital for post-mortem. A medical board was being formed for the purpose.
A CTD official said that they had information from credible sources that al Qaeda commanders Muneeb Javed alias Qandhari, Tayab Nawaz alias Hafiz Abdul Mateen, Muneeb Razaq alias Abdur Rehman and Zeeshan alias Abu Dajana were coming to Multan to hold a meeting in the city suburbs with al Qaeda commander Bilal Latif alias Yasir Punjabi and others including two suicide bombers to plan attack on a university in Multan.
A joint team of the CTD and a law enforcement agency raided the meeting point near Nawabpur village on the bank of river Chenab. The militants opened fire on the CTD team and fired rockets and hand grenades. Yasir Punjabi and Muneeb Javed escaped from the scene along with five to six associates. As many as eight militants were killed by the firing initiated by their accomplices, a CTD official said. Those killed included Tayyab alias Abdul Matin, Muneeb Razaq alias Abdur Rahman, Zeeshan alias Abu Dajana and others.
Muneeb Razaq and Zeeshan were proclaimed offenders and were involved in the assassination of Brigadier Fazal Qadri at Sargodha. Hafiz Abdul Matin was one of the founders of al Qaeda in Pakistan and believed to be the mastermind of the Parade Lane attack in Rawalpindi. He was member of Lajna Shariah of al Qaeda, which is the supreme body for finance, recruitment and logistics.
The identity of the other militants killed was being determined. Investigation has been launched while raids were being conducted for the arrest of the terrorists who escaped.
A suicide jacket, two AK 47 rifles, two pistols, and three hand grenades were recovered from the scene.
