The mystery behind a powerful explosion in an inter-provincial passenger bus that, had claimed lives of seven people and injured 50 others, would remain a mystery as the forensic test of swab samples collected from the site of the blast, proved unsuccessful in detecting whether it was a terrorist attack or an accident.
Explosion in an inter-provincial bus at Cantt Station was a challenge for experts and the forensic testing unit, but neither the experts nor laboratory instruments could prove that whether it was a terrorist attack or otherwise. However, the investigation team believed that a remote controlled explosive device was used in carrying out this attack, but they did not have any solid evidence to support their theory.
Initial reports regarding the incident mentioned that the blast occurred after the CNG cylinder of the ill-fated bus exploded, but when the transporters claimed that inter-provincial buses avoided using CNG due to unavailability of CNG stations at Superhighway, the reports were thwarted. Afterwards investigators said that the compressor of the bus could have exploded but later the compressor was found to be intact. Finally, they said that the explosion was carried out through a remote controlled device but nothing had been proved so far.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was the only one which challenged the other investigation team’s statements and said that some kind of chemical explosive material was used in the explosion, but the agency also failed to prove its claims.
“We have sent the swab samples that were collected from the affected bus to Islamabad two times for forensic tests but we are still clueless about the cause of the explosion,” a FIA official told Pakistan Today.
“FIA sent swab samples to Islamabad for the first time immediately after the explosion for forensic tests, but the results of the test could not prove the makeup of the explosive material used in the explosion,” the official said, adding that after receiving the first forensic result, the FIA again inspected the bus and later send a few more swab samples for laboratory testing to Islamabad, but again the laboratory tests could not detect the kind of explosive material.
“The ill-fated bus had caught fire after the explosion and later the fire brigade extinguished the fire, while also washing away the evidence,” the FIA official claimed. “Explosive material was certainly used in the blast because the impact of the explosion and the smell that prevailed afterwards, suggested that a planted device had been used in this terror attack,” he reiterated.
“Yes it was a terrorist attack which was carried out by using a some kind of a chemical,” Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Anti-Extremist Cell (AEC) chief SSP Chaudhry Aslam told Pakistan Today. “In our report, we suggested that a particular type of chemical was used in carrying out this terrorist attack,” CID AEC chief added. “We are trying to trace out people who were involved in this terrorist attack but until today we could not make any laudable achievement in this case,” he said.
When CID AEC chief was asked that what type of chemical could have been used in this explosion, he was found answerless.
“If forensic tests of the swab samples failed in detecting the explosive material, then this would be the fault of those officials who had collected the samples from the spot,” ex-Special Investigation Unit (SIU) chief and head of CID Functional Crime Unit (FCU) Raja Umar Khitab said.
“It is no excuse that the fires brigade washed away evidence while extinguishing the fire,” CID FCU chief said, adding that there must be some parts of the bus which might not have captured fire or the body parts of the bus which were spread across in the locality following the blast could have been used for swab sampling.”
“My experience suggest that the explosion was carried out with a remote controlled device,” Khitab said, adding that, “I will not say that it was the fault of the forensic laboratory which could not detect the explosive material, but I would like to challenge the experts of the FIA team that have collected swab samples.”