FAISALABAD – The terrified residents of Civil Lines ran out of their houses in panic on Tuesday when a powerful explosion at Civil Lines Police Station shook the building and the falling debris critically injured three policemen. The explosion was the result of the combustible material recovered from a terrorist group last month that had been stored on the roof of the police station. On March 8, a deadly attack that occurred outside an intelligence agency’s building in the vicinity of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) office in Civil Lines area of Faisalabad left 28 people dead and more than 50 injured.
A few minutes after the incident, the police arrested a terror suspect, Usman, fleeing from the scene of the crime on a bicycle who, later, confessed that he pushed the remote control button that caused the killings. During the course of interrogation, Civil Lines police was able to recover a large quantity of combustible material that was supposed to be used by the terrorists for their next target. The material was reportedly stored on the roof of the police station building that accidentally exploded. As a result of the explosion, the roof of three rooms collapsed injuring three policemen.
There are reports that one of the injured is in critical condition at the Allied Hospital. Capital Police Officer (CPO) Dr Usman Anwar visited the police station and ordered an inquiry into the accident. Regional Police Officer (RPO) Aftab Ahmed Cheema has expressed his regret at the untoward incident and ordered the authorities concerned to avoid the repetition of such accidents in future.
