Yesterday evening the Assistant Commissioner of Lankana Sajjad Hyder Qadri was reportedly attacked and subjected to a kidnap attempt by a banned terror outfit.
The AC had gone for a stroll to Larkana’s famous Jinnah Bagh (Garden). Around dusk, as he was entering the garden, a motorcyclist barreled straight into him, in what was initially thought of, as an accident.
The AC received minor injuries and immediately got up and caught the motorcyclist who had also fallen down in the collision. The motor cyclist yelled and asked two men in an Indus Toyota corolla parked nearby, as to what was the delay. The victim saw the persons trying their level best to start their vehicle whose ignition did not work in those crucial seconds. Fortunately for Sajjad, the vehicle did not start at the opportune moment, thereby giving the chance to the victim to flee the scene
Photonews asked the victim a few questions:
PN: How did you know it was a kidnap attempt and not a straight forward accident?
AC Sajjad: No motorcyclist kick starts and speeds up his bike just to hit you. I saw him start his bike and come straight at me ultimately hitting me . The biker and the persons in the car swung into action, as I appeared on the scene. The terrorists were heard cursing the driver for not starting the car and missing the opportunity. More-ever their description tallied with those of certain wanted men of a proscribed terror outfit.
PN: What, do you think they planned to do with you after the kidnapping, had they succeeded?
AC Sajjad: Oh, they would have almost certainly murdered me in a suitably gruesome manner and sent the grisly details of the process to the media to show that they can target anyone and every one at will and that no one is safe from their reach, not even senior govt. functionaries.
PN: Did the state not provide you with any security?
AC Sajjad: Yes, it did. I have been assigned an armed security guard. A man of impeccable integrity
PN: And why was he not present at the scene?
AC Sajjad: He leaves for home after official duty timings . Obviously , only one person can not perform duty round the clock, seven days a week
PN: Since you were on foot, has the state not provided you with a vehicle?
AC Sajjad: No , the post i am holding now, is not allocated with a vehicle or a driver. Interestingly, the post i am holding presently, commands the five districts of upper Sindh.
PN: And yet you were alone and on foot?
AC Sajjad: Yes, what else i could do?
PN: Are you in possession of licensed fire arms for self defense and practice with them diligently enough to be confident in your ability to defend yourself in the “gravest extreme”
AC Sajjad: Oh yes,I have my licensed pistol
PN: And if you were in possession of a weapon would have defended yourself had you needed to do so?
AC Sajjad: Oh no not at all. I was completely unarmed since there was a ban imposed on carrying of lincensed weapon even, due to present local bodies elections
PN: So, you were aware of a credible threat to your life before hand, and had a gunman as well as licensed fire arms that you know how to use and yet went about blithely unarmed and alone?
AC Sajjad: Precisely!
PN: May we know why?
AC Sajjad: As I have stated previously, The gunman goes home after duty hours as he is the only security guard provided to me and can not perform duty for 24 hours and seven days a week . plus, due to elections , the Govt has banned the carrying of licensed weapons too. So being a govt. officer and a law abiding citizen, I abide by the govt orders and did not take my licensed weapon with me.
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