Karachi's 2009 Ashura Bombing Case Remains Unsolved Despite Claims of Perpetrator's Demise

Sixteen years after the devastating Ashura bombing in Karachi, a senior law enforcement official has come forward with claims that most of the perpetrators were killed in encounters with the police or drone strikes in Afghanistan. However, the case file remains dormant, with the suspects still listed as absconders in the anti-terrorism court. The December 28, 2009 bombing claimed the lives of over 45 people, including children, and was orchestrated by the banned militant outfit Jundullah. Despite the progress made in identifying the perpetrators, the case has seen little movement, with the suspects' families being interrogated to confirm their deaths.

Key Takeaways:

• The 2009 Ashura bombing in Karachi claimed the lives of over 45 people, including children, and was orchestrated by the banned militant outfit Jundullah.
• Senior law enforcement official Raja Umar Khattab claims that most of the perpetrators were killed in encounters with the police or drone strikes in Afghanistan, while two others fled to Afghanistan and were later killed in a drone strike.
• The suspects, including Wazir Mohammed and Murad Shah, were arrested in 2009 and fled from police custody in 2010, leading to the case being dormant ever since.
• Jundullah, the militant outfit behind the bombing, was founded by former Al Qaeda commander Hamza Jufi, alias Haji Mumtaz, in Waziristan.
• Haji Mumtaz, who was also behind several major terrorist acts in Karachi, was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan in 2012.
• The Sindh prosecutor general's office stated that the case file remains dormant as the suspects are still listed as absconders, and without further evidence, the case will not move forward.

Statistics:

• Over 45 people, including children, were killed in the Ashura bombing on December 28, 2009.
• Four suspects were arrested in 2009, including Murtaza, alias Shakil; Muhammad Shakeeb Farooqui; Wazir Mohammed, and Murad Shah, who were associated with Jundullah.
• Two suspects, Wazir and Farooqui, fled to Afghanistan and were killed in a drone strike in 2016.
• One suspect, Murad Shah, was killed during a shootout with police in 2010.

Sources:

• Dawn newspaper interview with Counter Terrorism Department's Raja Umar Khattab
• Sindh prosecutor general's office statement on the status of the 2009 Ashura bombing case
• Legal expert opinion on the requirements for the case file to be reopened.