ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Anti-terrorism Court (ATC) has ordered police to approach Interpol for the arrest of Balochistan leader Hyrbyair Marri in regard to the case pertaining to the 2018 attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi, The News International reported.
Three gunmen belonging to Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) allegedly led by Hyrbyair who is living in exile had carried out an attack on the Chinese consulate located in the high-security zone in Clifton Block-4 on November 23, 2018.
The attackers, later identified as Abdul Razzaq, Raees Baloch and Azal Baloch, were also killed in a gun-and-grenade fight with police. A large number of weapons, ammunition and explosives were found on the attackers.
The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested five suspects, Ahmed Hasnain, Muhammad Aslam, Nadir Khan, Ali Ahmed and Abdul Latif, for allegedly providing tactical, logistics and artillery support to the attackers. They have been charge-sheeted in the case.
Besides them, police also booked Hyrbyair, Kareem Marri, Bashir Zaib, Aslam Baloch, Noor Bakhsh Mengal, Rehman Gul, Nisar, Gaindi, Sheikhu Sharif, Hamal, Agha Sher Dil and Munshi, all of whom have been declared proclaimed offenders in the case.
Hyrbyair is the Baloch nationalist activist from the Pakistani province of Balochistan. He is the fifth son of the Baloch nationalist leader Khair Bakhsh Marri. As of 2017, he resides in London.
The ATC-VII judge also issued perpetual warrants of arrest for the proclaimed offenders and ordered the police to write a letter to the interior ministry to seek international police organisation Interpol's assistance to arrest them.
The judge also ordered the confiscation of all the moveable and immoveable properties belonging to the absconders and directed the investigation officer to issue their sketches to seek public help in tracing their whereabouts.
On November 23 2018, an explosion and gunshot were heard near the Chinese consulate in Karachi's Clifton area in the morning, around 9:25 am. Three men possessing hand grenades and other weapons fired near the Chinese consulate in Clifton Block 4, according to eyewitnesses.
Two policemen were killed and a security guard got injured after three gunmen tried to enter the consulate around 9:30 am. Karachi police said that nine hand grenades, Kalashnikov bullets, magazines, and explosives were recovered from the possession of the terrorists.