Investigators discovered yesterday. the identity of the head of the terrorists killed in Raiwind Operation.
“Hafiz Imran, the alleged mastermind of the terror ring, was traced through the registration of two motorbikes recovered from the terrorists den in Pind Raiyan near Raiwind, the rural retreat of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif”, according to sources.
Imran, whose domicile is Chunian, a small town about 70km south of Lahore,was ostracized by his fellow villagers for preaching hardcore ‘Jihad’ and his involvement in other shady activities, sources quoted intelligence sources as saying.
“As per latest intelligence reports Hafiz Imran has absconded along with his wife”, an official told the media on the basis of anonymity.
The same official said that law enforcement agencies were hot on his trail, adding, Imran would not be able to remain at large for long.
Earlier on Thursday security forces, following credible intelligence, stormed a suspected militant hideout just a few kilometres from the prime minister’s family home. In the ensuring encounter a number of terrorists and LEA personnel were killed and injured.
One policeman was killed and three others were wounded in the assault, which came as a military operation against Taliban militants in the country’s restive northwest enters its second month amid rising fears of reprisal attacks.
“A police team raided a house… around 2:00 am (2100 GMT Wednesday) on a tip off about the presence of suspected militants, but they retaliated,” an official said.
“One militant was killed on the spot, while the second who was wounded and arrested later succumbed to his injuries at hospital,” senior police official said.
Police took over the compound and found weapons, he said, adding that the suspects were about 20 and 25 years old and belonged to “Tafseeri Group”, a little known extremist clan.
Another police official confirmed the incident, adding that the raid took several hours because civilians had to be evacuated from the area first.
Television footage showed a bullet-ridden compound with a large hole blown into one of its walls.
The Raiwind area is home to the famous ‘Raiwind Palace’ — the residence of the powerful Sharif family which also includes the chief minister of the Punjab province of which Lahore is the capital.
It is also the base of the Tablighi Jamaat, a Sunni Muslim evangelical movement known for its ultra-conservative views
